Lucian Freud - Modern and Contemporary Editions New York Wednesday, May 21, 2008 | Phillips

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  • Literature

    Craig Hartley 44

  • Catalogue Essay

    "I am really interested in people as animals," he has said. "Part of liking to work from them naked is for that reason. Because I can see more; and it's also very exciting to see the forms repeating right through the body and ofter in the head as well. I like people to look as natural and physically at ease as animals, as Pluto my whippet." His examination of the human body is at once more clinical (he often refers to himself as a "biologist") and sensual. Starr Figura, Lucian Freud-The Painter's Etchings, The Museum of Modern Art, 2007, p. 26.
    Related to the painting Woman holding her Thumb from 1992 (Lampert 1993, no. 82).

  • Artist Biography

    Lucian Freud

    British • 1922 - 2011

    Renowned for his unflinching observations, Lucian Freud is considered one of the greatest figurative artists. He pushed the boundaries of decorum in terms of classical portraiture and nudes in order to explore his lifelong concern to honestly render the human figure, in what he called his "naked portraits."

    In his paintings, Freud's layers of impasto jabs of paint create a surprisingly delicate, translucent depiction of flesh, while his etchings employ an economy of line that implies the figure more than it illustrates it. Charismatic but irascible, Freud worked only from sitters that he knew, consistently focusing on translating his direct perceptions. The resulting portraits are redolent with a stark and evocative psychological intensity, underpinned by an unexpected tenderness towards the subject.

    View More Works

32

Woman on a Bed

1991-92
Etching on Somerset Satin paper, with full margins,
I. 9 3/8 x 8 1/16 in. (23.8 x 20.5 cm).;
S. 17 1/2 x 15 1/4 in. (44.5 x 38.7 cm).

signed with initials and numbered 4/30 in pencil (there were also 10 artist's proofs), published by Matthew Marks, New York and James Kirkman, London, in excellent condition, framed.

Estimate
$14,000 - 18,000 

Sold for $17,500

Modern and Contemporary Editions

21 May 2008, 2pm
New York