Lucian Freud's Unflinching Portraits of Celebrities: From Kate Moss to Queen Elizabeth II
Lucian Freud (1922–2011), the grandson of Sigmund Freud, emerged as a prominent figurative painter celebrated for revealing both psychological and physical truths. His family escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, relocating to London, where he transitioned from surrealism to a rich impasto technique. Freud's portraits of notable figures, such as Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Moss, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Frank Auerbach, and Leigh Bowery, emphasize stark honesty over flattery. A notable theft occurred in 1988 when Bacon's 1952 portrait vanished from a Berlin exhibition. Moss's Naked Portrait 2002, created during her pregnancy, fetched £3.9 million at Christie's in 2005. Freud's 2001 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, commissioned by the Royal Collection, took 19 months and measures 23.5 by 15.2 cm. A biopic titled Moss & Freud is set to delve into their artistic connection.
Key facts
- Lucian Freud was born in Berlin in 1922 and died in 2011.
- He was the grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.
- His family fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and settled in London.
- His portrait of Francis Bacon (1952) was stolen in 1988 from an exhibition in Berlin and never recovered.
- Kate Moss posed for Naked Portrait 2002 while pregnant; it sold at Christie's in 2005 for £3.9 million.
- Moss sat for seven-hour sessions over nine months; Freud tattooed two birds on her lower back.
- The portrait of David Hockney (2002) took over 100 hours to complete.
- Leigh Bowery was diagnosed with HIV in the late 1980s and died in 1994.
- Freud owned the largest private collection of Frank Auerbach's paintings.
- The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (2001) measures 23.5 by 15.2 cm and took 19 months of sittings.
- An upcoming biopic titled Moss & Freud will explore the relationship between Kate Moss and Lucian Freud.
Entities
Artists
- Lucian Freud
- Sigmund Freud
- Francis Bacon
- Kate Moss
- David Hockney
- Leigh Bowery
- Frank Auerbach
- Queen Elizabeth II
- William Feaver
- Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
- Edgar Degas
Institutions
- Tate
- Christie's
- Sotheby's
- Royal Collection
- The Lucian Freud Archive
- Bridgeman Images
- The Guardian
- ArtHive
- DailyArt Magazine
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- London
- United Kingdom
- Yorkshire
- Australia