Lucian Freud

Lucian Freud (1922–2011) was a British painter renowned for his figurative work and his uncompromising, often unsettling portraits. Born in Berlin, the grandson of Sigmund Freud, he moved to London with his family in 1933 to escape the Nazis. Freud’s early works are characterized by meticulous, almost surrealist precision, but he later developed a much thicker, impasto-like style—particularly from the 1950s onward—which would become his signature. Throughout his career, Freud focused almost exclusively on the human figure, often depicting nudes and portraits of friends, family members, and other artists. His intense, psychological approach to portraiture aimed to capture the raw, unvarnished truth of his subjects, often through extended sessions that could last for months or even years. This dedication to observation and the tactile quality of his painting established him as one of the most important postwar artists. Freud’s works are held in major public and private collections around the world, and he remains one of the most celebrated and influential British artists. His uncompromising vision and technical mastery have cemented his legacy as a master of figurative painting, with his works consistently fetching record prices at auction.