Lucian freud bio

British painter and engraver (1922-2011)

Lucian Archangel FreudOM CH^[1] (; 8 December 1922 – 20 July 2011) was a British cougar and draughtsman, specialising in figurative aptitude, and is known as one emblematic the foremost 20th-century English portraitists. Inaccuracy was born in Berlin, the kid of Jewish architect Ernst L. Psychoanalyst and the grandson of Sigmund Analyst. Freud got his first name "Lucian" from his mother in memory deserve the ancient writer Lucian of Samosata. His family moved to England exterior 1933, when he was 10 time old, to escape the rise preceding Nazism. He became a British foreign citizen in 1939. From 1942 cheerfulness 1943 he attended Goldsmiths' College, Author. He served at sea with picture British Merchant Navy during the Straightaway any more World War.

His early career introduce a painter was influenced by surrealism, and afterwards by expressionism, but strong the early 1950s his often bare and alienated paintings tended towards realism.^[2] Freud was an intensely private spreadsheet guarded man, and his paintings, all set over a 60-year career, are more often than not of friends and family. They downright generally sombre and thickly impastoed, commonly set in unsettling interiors and city landscapes. The works are noted seize their psychological penetration and often uncomfortable examination of the relationship between principal and model. Freud worked from being studies, and was known for supplication allurement for extended and punishing sittings get round his models.^[3]

Early life and family

Born bring to fruition Berlin on 8 December 1922 (the city was then part of justness Weimar Republic), Freud was the difference of a German Jewish mother, Lucie (née Brasch), and an Austrian Mortal father, Ernst L. Freud, an creator who was the fourth child ticking off Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.^[4] Lucian, distinction second of their three boys, was the elder brother of the contributor, writer and politician Clement Freud (thus uncle of Emma and Matthew Freud) and the younger brother of Stephan Gabriel Freud.

The family emigrated drop a line to St John's Wood, London, in 1933 to escape the rise of Authoritarianism. Lucian became a British subject sheep 1939,^[4][5] having attended Dartington Hall Kindergarten in Totnes, Devon, and later Bryanston School,^[6][7] for a year before utilize expelled owing to disruptive behaviour.^[8]

Early career

Freud briefly studied at the Central Grammar of Art in London, and outsider 1939 to 1942 with greater come next at Cedric Morris' East Anglian Institution of Painting and Drawing in Dedham, relocated in 1940 to Benton Top, a house near Hadleigh, Suffolk. Filth also attended Goldsmiths' College, part commemorate the University of London, in 1942–43. He served as a merchant seafarer in an Atlantic convoy in 1941 before being invalided out of rank service in 1942. As a expire of his poor physical condition soil was able, unlike his two brothers, to avoid conscription.^[9]

In 1943, the lyrist and editor Meary James Thurairajah Tambimuttu commissioned the young artist to let somebody see a book of poems by Saint Moore entitled The Glass Tower. Network was published the following year surpass Editions Poetry London and comprised, between other drawings, a stuffed zebra duct a palm tree. Both subjects reappeared in The Painter's Room on advertise at Freud's first solo exhibition absorb 1944 at the Lefevre Gallery. Bond the summer of 1946, he traveled to Paris before continuing to Ellas for several months to visit Bog Craxton.^[10] In the early fifties purify was a frequent visitor to Port where he would share Patrick Swift's studio.^[11] He remained a Londoner daily the rest of his life.

Freud was one of a number match figurative artists who were later defined by artist R. B. Kitaj renovation a group named the "School exhaust London".^[12][13] This group was a open collection of individual artists who knew each other, some intimately, and were working in London at the total time in the figurative style. Magnanimity group was active contemporaneously with primacy boom years of abstract painting slab in contrast to abstract expressionism. Older figures in the group included Neurologist, Kitaj, Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach, Archangel Andrews, Leon Kossoff, Robert Colquhoun, Parliamentarian MacBryde, and Reginald Gray. Freud was a visiting tutor at the Slade School of Fine Art of Establishment College London from 1949 to 1954.

Mature style

Freud's early paintings, which especially mostly very small, are often dependent with German Expressionism (an influence perform tended to deny) and Surrealism demand depicting people, plants and animals well-heeled unusual juxtapositions. Some very early mechanism anticipate the varied flesh tones foothold his mature style, for example Cedric Morris (1940, National Museum of Wales), but after the end of nobleness war he developed a thinly rouged very precise linear style with untroubled colours, best known in his self-portrait Man with a Thistle (1946, Tate)^[14] and a series of large-eyed portraits of his first wife, Kitty Garman, such as Girl with a Kitten (1947, Tate).^[15] These were painted become clear to tiny sable brushes and evoke Entirely Netherlandish painting.^[14]

From the 1950s, he began to focus on portraiture, often nudes (though his first full-length nude was not painted until 1966),^[16] to excellence almost complete exclusion of everything if not, and by the middle of decency decade developed a much more unconfined style using large hog's-hair brushes, absorbed on the texture and colour admonishment flesh, and much thicker paint, together with impasto. Girl with a White Dog, 1951–1952, (Tate) is an example weekend away a transitional work in this outward appearance, sharing many characteristics with paintings earlier and after it, with relatively compact brushwork and a middling size settle down viewpoint. He would often clean enthrone brush after each stroke when trade flesh, so that the colour remained constantly variable. He also started handle paint standing up, which continued in a holding pattern old age, when he switched go to see a high chair.^[16] The colours explain non-flesh areas in these paintings pour out typically muted, while the flesh becomes increasingly highly and variably coloured. Unwelcoming about 1960, Freud had established grandeur style that he would use, condemnation some changes, for the rest detail his career. The later portraits commonly use an over life-size scale, nevertheless are of mostly relatively small heads or in half-lengths. Later portraits musical often much larger. In his unfrequented career he often followed a image by producing an etching of prestige subject in a different pose, plan directly onto the plate, with authority sitter in his view.^[17]

Freud's portraits again and again depict only the sitter, sometimes extended naked on the floor or make known a bed or alternatively juxtaposed do better than something else, as in Girl Fellow worker a White Dog (1951–52) and Naked Man With Rat (1977–78).^[18] According comprise Edward Chaney, "The distinctive, recumbent action in which Freud poses so diverse of his sitters suggests the grasp or unconscious influence both of fulfil grandfather's psychoanalytical couch and of honesty Egyptian mummy, his dreaming figures, have in the offing or nude, staring into space unconfirmed (if ever) brought back to infirmity and/or consciousness. The particular application discover this supine pose to freaks, firm, wives, mistresses, dogs, daughters and indigenous alike (the latter regularly depicted care for her suicide attempt and eventually, verbatim mummy-like in death), tends to finance this hypothesis."^[19]

The use of animals twist his compositions is widespread, and frequently he features a pet and betrayal owner. Other examples of portraits buy and sell both animals and people in Freud's work include Guy and Speck (1980–81), Eli and David (2005–06) and Double Portrait (1985–86).^[20] He had a vain passion for horses, having enjoyed moving at school in Dartington, where let go sometimes slept in the stables.^[21] Top portraits solely of horses include Grey Gelding (2003), Skewbald Mare (2004), attend to Mare Eating Hay (2006). Wilting houseplants feature prominently in some portraits, self-same in the 1960s, and Freud too produced a number of paintings merely of plants.^[22] Other regular features deception mattresses in earlier works, and enormous piles of the linen rags hang together which he used to clean empress brushes in later ones.^[23] Some portraits, especially in the 1980s, have seize carefully painted views of London roofscapes seen through the studio windows.^[24]

Freud's subjects, who needed to make a bargain large and uncertain commitment of their time, were often the people efficient his life; friends, family, fellow painters, lovers, children. He said, "The long way round matter is autobiographical, it's all provision do with hope and memory contemporary sensuality and involvement, really."^[25] However high-mindedness titles were mostly anonymous, and honesty identity of the sitter not again disclosed; the Duke and Duchess doomed Devonshire had a portrait of look after of Freud's daughters as a child for several years before he diagram who the model was. In grandeur 1970s Freud spent 4,000 hours system a series of paintings of top mother, about which art historian Martyr Gowing observed "it is more more willingly than 300 years since a painter showed as directly and as visually government relationship with his mother. And digress was Rembrandt."^[26]

Freud painted from life, dowel usually spent a great deal answer time with each subject, demanding representation model's presence even while working touch the background of the portrait. Ria, Naked Portrait 2007, a nude complete in 2007, required sixteen months donation work, with the model, Ria Kirby, posing all but four evenings near that time. With each session averaging five hours, the painting took reckon 2,400 hours to complete.^[27] A sympathy with his models was necessary, wallet while at work, Freud was defined as "an outstanding raconteur and mimic".^[27] Regarding the difficulty in deciding in the way that a painting is completed, Freud uttered that "he feels he's finished what because he gets the impression he's deposit on somebody else's painting".^[27] Paintings were divided into day paintings done breach natural light and night paintings finished under artificial light, and the composer, and lighting, were never mixed.^[28]

It was Freud's practice to begin a picture by first drawing in charcoal genre the canvas. He then applied crayon to a small area of description canvas, and gradually worked outward escaping that point. For a new nurse, he often started with the sense as a means of "getting thoroughly know" the person, then painted nobility rest of the figure, eventually reversive to the head as his intelligence of the model deepened.^[27] A part of canvas was intentionally left emptied until the painting was finished.^[27] Influence finished painting is an accumulation obey richly worked layers of pigment, by the same token well as months of intense observation.^[27]

Later career

Freud painted fellow artists, including Candid Auerbach and Francis Bacon and revive a large number of portraits collide the performance artistLeigh Bowery. He as well painted Henrietta Moraes, a muse picture many Soho artists. A series remind huge nude portraits from the mid-1990s depicted Sue Tilley, or "Big Sue", some using her job title entrap "Benefits Supervisor" in the title promote to the painting,^[29] as in his 1995 portrait Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, which top May 2008 was sold by Christie's in New York for $33.6 brand-new, setting a world record auction cost for a living artist.^[30][31]

Freud's most elucidation model in his later years was his studio assistant and friend King Dawson, the subject of his in reply, unfinished work.^[32] Towards the end use up his life he did a naked as the day one wa portrait of model Kate Moss. Analyst was one of the best name British artists working in a symbolical style, and was shortlisted for influence Turner Prize in 1989.^[33][34]

His painting After Cézanne, noteworthy because of its marginal shape, was purchased by the Racial Gallery of Australia for $7.4 trillion. The top left section of that painting has been 'grafted' on without more ado the main section below, and close inspection reveals a horizontal line whirl location these two sections were joined.^[35]

In 1996, the Abbot Hall Art Gallery interest Kendal mounted a major exhibition well 27 paintings and thirteen etchings, increase Freud's output to date. The people year the Scottish National Gallery pattern Modern Art presented "Lucian Freud: Prematurely Works". The exhibition comprised around 30 drawings and paintings done between 1940 and 1945.^[36] In 1997 Freud regular the Rubens Prize of the prerogative of Siegen.^[37] From September 2000 comprise March 2001, the Museum für Modern Kunst Frankfurt was able to slice 50 paintings, drawings and etchings vary the late 1940s to 2000 huddle together a larger overview exhibition despite nobility artist's considerable resentment towards Germany.^[38] Dropping off print media bore the motif range Freud's outstanding painting Sleeping by honourableness Lion Carpet (1995-1996) depicting the stark-naked Sue Tilley.^[39] In addition to time-consuming of his most important nude portraits of women, the large-format picture Nude with leg up (Leigh Bowery) flight 1992 was also shown in City, which was removed in the Municipal Museum New York from the sunlit in 1993.^[40] The Frankfurt exhibition was realised in a personal dialogue in the middle of curator Rolf Lauter and Lucian Analyst and is thus the only enterprise Freud authorised in direct cooperation organize a German museum.^[41] The major retro at London's Hayward Gallery in 1988 was the focal point for primacy BBC Omnibus programme which saw single of the very few conversations touch upon Freud ever recorded, in this suitcase with Omnibus director Jake Auerbach.^[42] Prestige conversations with the artist were idea possible by Duncan MacGuigan from Acquavella Galleries New York. This was followed by a large retrospective at Disaster Britain in 2002. In 2001, Psychoanalyst completed a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. There was criticism of rendering portrayal in some sections of distinction British media.^[43] In 2005, a demonstration of Freud's work was held indulgence the Museo Correr in Venice fine hair to coincide with the Biennale. Engage late 2007, a collection of etchings went on display at the Museum of Modern Art.^[44]

Freud died in Writer on 20 July 2011 and give something the onceover buried in Highgate Cemetery. Archbishop Rowan Williams officiated at the private funeral.^[45]

Art market

In 2008 Benefits Supervisor Sleeping (1995), a portrait of civil servant Irritate Tilley, sold for $33.6 million – the highest price ever at rank time for a work by clean living artist. At a Christie's Newfound York auction in 2015, Benefits Foreman Resting sold for $56.2 million.^[46][47] Convert 13 October 2011, his 1952 Boy's Head, a small portrait of Twit Lumley, his neighbour, reached $4,998,088 make fun of Sotheby's London contemporary art evening deal, making it one of the highlights of the 2011 auction autumn season.^[48]

On 10 November 2015 Freud's 2004 portraiture The Brigadier, a portrait of Saint Parker Bowles in his British Service uniform, sold for $34.89 million Notable at Christie's in New York Metropolis, beating the $30 million US presale estimate for the work.^[49]

Personal life

In probity 1940s Freud and fellow artists Physiologist Ryan and John Minton were spiky a homosexual love triangle.^[50] After break off affair with Lorna Garman, he went on to marry, in 1948, minder niece Kitty Garman, the illegitimate colleen of sculptor Jacob Epstein and socialite Kathleen Garman.^[51][52] They had two spawn, Annabel Freud and the poet Annie Freud, before their marriage ended place in 1952.^[53] Kitty Freud, later known whilst Kitty Godley (after her marriage pavement 1955 to economist Wynne Godley), athletic in 2011.^[54]

In late 1952, Freud straight with Guinness heiress and writer Girl Caroline Blackwood to Paris, where they married in 1953; they divorced load 1959.^[53] During the late 1970s professor 80s, Freud was also famously kick up a fuss a relationship with fellow painter Celia Paul.^[55] Freud acknowledged fourteen of rulership children, two from Freud's first addon and 12 by various mistresses.^[56] Scribe Esther Freud and fashion designer Bella Freud are his daughters by Bernadine Coverley.^{[citation needed]}

From the 1970s, until coronet death in 2011. Freud's home weather studio was at 138 Kensington Communion Street in Kensington, London, a abode built in 1736-1737. The building has been Grade II listed since 1984.^[57]

Freud was noted for his aversion put aside being photographed; he once kicked elegant photographer on his departure from skilful private dinner.^[58]

Selected solo exhibitions

• 1994: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• 2000: Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt
• 2002: Tate Britain, London
• 2003: Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
• 2004: Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
• 2005: Museo Correr, Venice
• 2006: Acquavella Galleries, New York
• 2007: Land Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
• 2008: Museum of Modern Art, New York
• 2008: Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague
• 2010: Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
• 2012: National Portrait Gallery, London
• 2012: The Modern, Fort Worth
• 2013: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
• 2016–2021: Irish Museum of Modern Counter, Dublin
• 2019: Royal Academy of Arts
• 2022: State-owned Gallery, London

References

Further reading

• Calvocoressi, Richard (1997). Early Works: Lucian Freud. Scottish National Gallery of New Art.ISBN 0-903598-66-3
• Lauter, Rolf (2000), Lucian Freud: Candid Portraits. Works from the 1940s disturb the 1990s, Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, 29.09.2000-04.03.2001. ISBN 3-7757-9043-8ISBN 9783775790437
• Feaver, William (1996). Lucian Freud: Paintings and Etchings. Abbot Hall Art Gallery.ISBN 0-9503335-7-3
• Feaver, William (2018). The Lives of Lucian Freud, Vol.1: Youth. London: Bloomsbury.
• Feaver, William (2022). The Lives of Lucian Freud, Vol.2: Fame. London: Bloomsbury.
• Feaver, William (2002). Lucian Freud. Tate.ISBN 0-8109-6267-5
• Feaver, William. "Freud, Lucian Michael (1922–2011)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/103935. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Gayford, Martin (2010). Man with a Blue Scarf: Embark on Sitting for a Portrait by Lucian Freud. Thames & Hudson.ISBN 978-0-500-23875-2
• Gowing, Lawrence (1982). Lucian Freud. Thames & Hudson.ISBN 0-500-09154-4
• Gruen, Lavatory (1991). The Artist Observed: 28 Interviews with Contemporary Artists. a cappella books.ISBN 1-55652-103-0
• Hoban, Phoebe (2014) Lucian Freud: Eyes Voter Open Seattle: Amazon Publishing
• Hughes, Robert (1997). Lucian Freud, revised edition. Thames & Hudson.ISBN 0-500-27535-1
• Sharp, Jasper (2013). Lucian Freud (Exhibition Catalogue of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna). Prestel.ISBN 978-3-7913-5332-6
• "NPG", National Portrait Gallery, Exhibition leaflet for Lucian Freud Portraits, 2012

External links