Lucian Freud was one of the most influential portrait artists of the 20th century. His figurative paintings offer an unabashed view of his subjects, which included friends, family members and lovers, and are visceral and revealing while intuitively respectful. He was lauded by some and criticized by others for often painting his subjects nude, brazenly undraped or sensually posed.
Born in Berlin, Germany, in 1922 to Jewish parents, Freud and his family fled the oncoming war in 1933, settling in North London, England. He attended Goldsmiths College in London. When war erupted, he enlisted in the British Merchant Navy.
Freud’s paternal grandfather was the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who also fled Germany before the war, but died in 1938. Lucian Freud maintained a lifelong fascination with psychoanalysis and instilled a psychological intensity in his work.
In his early years, Freud leaned toward realism, but as he aged and spent time with other artists, he began to explore Surrealism and Expressionism. He was part of a group of artists known as the School of London, which included Francis Bacon, Leon Kossof and Frank Auerbach. Artist R.B. Kitaj characterized these painters as having a unique style of work that leaned heavily into the figurative.
Bacon is considered Freud’s most significant influence. Before their friendship, his paintings were linear and thinly painted. After meeting Bacon, he stopped using soft sable brushes and employed stiff hog hair brushes, trimming them down to nubs. He used thick paint, layering and smearing each application to build forms through pigments. Even into his 80s, he would often paint for 14 to 18 hours a day, frequently depicting his subjects at larger-than-life-size. His artistic process could last one to two years for each work as he spent intensive time with prospective models.
He died in 2011 at age 88. Freud’s paintings can be found in numerous museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate Britain in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He was appointed a Companion of Honour in 1983 and a member of the Order of Merit in 1993.
Find original Lucian Freud prints and multiples, drawings and watercolors and other art on 1stDibs.
After Constable's "Elm"
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Lucian Freud After Constable's "Elm" 2003 Etching on Somerset Textured White paper 18 7/8 x 15 inches; 48 x 38 cm Edition of 46 Initialed and numbered in graphite (lower recto) Frame available upon request Published by Matthew Marks Gallery...
Etching
Portrait Head
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Lucian Freud Portrait Head 2001 Etching on Somerset Textured White paper 28 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches; 72 x 57 cm Edition of 46 Initialed and numbered in graphite (lower recto) Frame available upon request Published by Matthew Marks Gallery...
Etching
Woman on a Bed
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Lucian Freud Woman on a Bed 1991-92 Etching on Somerset Satin White paper 17 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches; 44 x 39 cm Edition of 30 Initialed and numbered in graphite (lower recto) Frame available upon request Published by Matthew Marks Gallery...
Etching
After Chardin
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Lucian Freud After Chardin 2000 Etching on White Somerset Textured Paper 30 3/4 x 37 3/4 inches; 78 x 96 cm Edition of 46 Initialed and numbered in graphite (lower recto) Frame available upon request Published by Matthew Marks Gallery...
Etching
The Egyptian Book
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Lucian Freud The Egyptian Book 1994 Etching on T.H.S. Saunders paper 18 1/4 x 16 3/4 inches; 46 x 43 cm Edition of 40 Initialed and numbered in graphite (lower recto) Frame available upon request Published by Matthew Marks...
Etching
Galerie Maeght Original Poster by Francis Bacon & Lucian Freud, 1995
By Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon
Located in Winchester, GB
Featuring his 1965 painting "Reflection with Two Children (Self-Portrait)", this poster was created for the Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon joint exhibition at the Fondation Maeght in...
Paper
The Painter's Doctor
By Lucian Freud
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Lucian Freud (1922-2011) was a seminal figure in 20th-century British art, celebrated for his raw and psychologically charged exploration of the human form. With his distinctive fi...
Etching
Lucian Freud Framed Vintage Recent Works Exhibition Poster Nudes Portrait Series
By Lucian Freud
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful, quite captivating image/vintage poster by UK (German born) artist/painter Lucian Freud from his 1993-94 Recent Works exhibition which had shows in London, New York and M...
Metal
$15,000
Susanna
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Lucian Freud Susanna 1996 Etching on Somerset Textured White paper 20 x 19 5/8 inches; 51 x 50 cm Edition of 40 Initialed and numbered in graphite (lower recto) Frame available upon request Published by Matthew Marks Gallery...
Etching
Head of a Naked Girl
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Lucian Freud Head of a Naked Girl 2000 Etching on Somerset Textured White paper 23 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches; 60 x 57 cm Edition of 46 Initialed and numbered in g...
Etching
Lucian Freud (1922–2011) - Head of a Girl II - Etching on paper - 1982
By Lucian Freud
Located in Varese, IT
Etching on wove paper, edited in 1982. Limited edition, only 16 copies of the work were printed, numbered from 1/16 to 16/16 + 4 numbered "Studio Proof" copies. Numbered as Studio Pr...
Etching
The New Yorker
By Lucian Freud
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Lucian Freud (1922-2011) was a seminal figure in 20th-century British art, celebrated for his raw and psychologically charged exploration of the human form. With his distinctive figurative intensity, Freud captured friends, family, and lovers in a signature brand of realism that he refined over a seven-decade long career. The artist revitalized traditional portraiture in England by imbuing his images with visceral complexity and exposing his subjects in harsh, often unsettling poses that reveal their vulnerability. Freud's style is renowned for its striking emphasis on texture and physicality. His portraits are remarkably unsentimental and veer on harsh. Perhaps the most defining characteristic of his oeuvre is the artist's bold mastery of light and shadow. Freud accentuates every detail of his subjects with frenetic strokes and dramatic contrasts, carving out contours and imperfections with deliberate unflinching precision. Although Freud produced several prints early in his career, he took a 30-year hiatus before reconnecting with the medium in 1982. As with the rest of his practice, each etching demanded months of work and many sittings, deepening the intrigue and complexity of his printmaking. Completed in the last chapter of his career, "The New Yorker" offers a pared-back example of the artist's signature aesthetic. Freud captures his subject in a quiet moment of contemplation, his lips pursed...
Etching
Donegal Man
By Lucian Freud
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Lucian Freud (1922-2011) was a seminal figure in 20th-century British art, celebrated for his raw and psychologically charged exploration of the human form. With his distinctive fi...
Etching
Price Upon Request
Girl Holding Her Foot
By Lucian Freud
Located in London, GB
Etching printed with tone, 1985. Initialed in pencil and numbered from the edition of 50 (plus 15 artist's proofs) Printed on Somerset Satin White. Proofed and printed by Terry Wils...
Etching
Price Upon Request
Donegal Man
By Lucian Freud
Located in San Francisco, CA
Publisher: Acquavella LLC Printer: Marc Balakjian at Studio Prints, London Edition of 46
Etching
$470
H 8.08 in W 5.12 in D 0.08 in
Pensive Nude - Etching and Aquatint by Anna Bass - Late 20th Century
By Anna Bass
Located in Roma, IT
Pensive Nude is a black and white print realized by Anna Bass (Strasbourg 1876 - Paris 1961) in the First Half 20th Century. The artwork represents a nude female portrait. Hand-si...
Etching, Aquatint
$1,200
H 36.25 in W 24.25 in D 0.75 in
Framed Calder Galerie Maeght Lithograph Poster Maeght Editeur - Arte Paris 70s
By Calder, Galerie Maeght
Located in New York, NY
Bold, colorful and graphic Galerie Maeghgt Calder Poster by Maeght Editeur - Arte Paris. The poster is in it's original vintage frame with a blue mat border, aluminum frame and gla...
Paper
$752
H 35.44 in W 23.63 in D 0.79 in
Marc Chagall Original Exhibition Poster for Galerie Maeght, Paris, 1981
Located in Hammarö, SE
Original exhibition poster produced for Marc Chagall’s Lithographies originales récentes exhibition at Galerie Maeght, Paris, held from 20 May to 10 July 1981. Published by Galerie M...
Plastic, Paper
Original Pablo Picasso Poster, 1957, Galerie Louise Leiris
By Pablo Picasso, Mourlot
Located in Sharon, CT
Important early original poster by Picasso, printed by his lithographer, Mourlot. Paris, for an exhibition of paintings at Galerie Louise Leiris, 1957. Literature: Bloch, 1275; Mo...
Paper
$2,062
H 19.69 in W 28.35 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Art Exhibition Advertising Poster Georges Braque Galerie Maeght
Located in London, GB
Original vintage advertising poster for an exhibition of work by the French artist Georges Braque (1882-1963) at Galerie Maeght featuring an abstract design titled Profil a la Palett...
Paper
$480Sale Price|20% Off
H 22.45 in W 25.2 in D 0.4 in
CHAGALL Galerie Adrien Maeght Original Vintage Poster
By Marc Chagall
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
CHAGALL Galerie Adrien Maeght Original Vintage Poster Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Galerie Adrien Maeght - Jardins de Saint-Paul ARTIST Chagall ...
Paper
Vassily Kandinsky Galerie Maeght Exhibition Poster, 1965
By Galerie Maeght, (after) Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vassily Kandinsky Galerie Maeght Exhibition Poster Paris, France, 1965 unframed nice vintage condition some waviness - see images
Paper
$575
H 27.5 in W 20.5 in D 1.5 in
Alberto Giacometti Exhibition Galerie Maeght Poster 1951 in Silver Frame
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) Exhibition poster from his 1951 signed in Plate - in good condition with some faint creasing. The poster is a fine representation of the artist. Fr...
Metal
Marc Chagall, Galerie Maeght Exhibition Poster, Paris, 1981
Located in Hammarö, SE
Original exhibition poster produced for Marc Chagall’s exhibition Lithographies originales récentes at the renowned Galerie Maeght in Paris, held from 20 May to 10 July 1981. The pos...
Plastic, Paper
Claude Garache 1975 Galerie Maeght Poster
By Claude Garache
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
This is an original vintage poster from 1975 to promote the exhibition of Claude Garache at the Gallery Maeght, in Paris. Claude Garache is a French art...
Paper
$1,500
H 63 in W 47.25 in D 0.04 in
Original Exhibition Poster, Saul Steinberg for Galerie Maeght 1973
By Saul Steinberg
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Saul Steinberg was a Romanian-born American artist, best known for his work for The New Yorker, most notably View of the World from 9th Avenue. He described himself as "a writer who ...
Paper
Marin Headlands Original Silkscreen Poster by Michael Schwab, 1995
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Marin Headlands Original Silkscreen Poster by Michael Schwab, 1995 "in nice as found condition" "will look great once properly framed"
Paper
Sold
H 0.75 in W 10 in D 11 in
Lucian Freud Paintings, by Robert Hughes, Thames and Hudson 1987, First Edition
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Lucian Freud Paintings book, by Robert Hughes. Printed in the UK by Thames and Hudson, 1987 First Edition. Hardcover, text in English. Lucian Freud's startling, disconcerting painti...
Paper
Conversation
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Etching on Somerset Textured White paper Edition of 30 Frame available upon request Initialed and numbered in graphite (lower recto) Published by Matthew Marks Gallery
Etching
Girl Holding her Foot
By Lucian Freud
Located in London, GB
Etching on Somerset Satin White paper Edition of 50 88.4 x 71.3 cms (34.8 x 28.1 ins)
Etching