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
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
$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
$150
H 12.2 in W 10.2 in
"Discovering your landscapes" 2007 Original Engraving Signed Figurative 12x10in
By Alberto Cuervo Bustillos
Located in Miami, FL
Alberto"El Cuervo" Bustillos (Mexico, 1950) 'Descubrir tus paisajes', 2007 etching, aquatint on paper Deponte 300 g. 12.3 x 10.3 in. (31 x 26 cm.) ID: CUR-108 Unframed
Etching, Aquatint, Engraving
Camelot Etching on Paper, Hand Signed, Edition of 300, 12x10 inches
By Charles Bragg
Located in Aventura, FL
Etching on paper. Hand signed, titled and numbered by the artist. Sheet size 12 x 10 inches. Image size 7 x 4.75 inches. Edition of 300. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certi...
Paper, Etching
$1,055
H 7.88 in W 15.16 in
Behind the Frog - 21st Century Contemporary Landscape Etching
By Charles Donker
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Charles Donker Behind the Frog 20 x 38,5 (Framed included in price, 42 x 59 cm) Etching on paper The etchings of Charles Donker are admired and collected both in the Netherlands and...
Etching
$950
H 15 in W 11 in
Artist Studio, Expressionist Lithograph by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Long Island City, NY
Alberto Giacometti, Swiss (1901 - 1966) - Artist Studio from Derriere Le Miroir no. 127, Year: 1961, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: ~2500, Size: 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.94 cm), Publ...
Lithograph
$1,055
H 11.62 in W 9.38 in
Forest VII - 21st Century Contemporary Landscape Etching
By Charles Donker
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Charles Donker Forest VII 29,5 x 23,8 (Framed included in price, 52,5 x 45 cm) Etching on paper The etchings of Charles Donker are admired and collected both in the Netherlands and ...
Etching
$450
H 15 in W 11 in
Seated Figure Study, Expressionist Lithograph by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Long Island City, NY
Alberto Giacometti, Swiss (1901 - 1966) - Seated Figure Study Derriere Le Miroir no. 127, Year: 1961, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: ~2500, Size: 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.94 cm), Pub...
Lithograph
HAMBURGER KNIEPPE
By Käthe Kollwitz
Located in Santa Monica, CA
KATHE KOLLWITZ (1867-1945) HAMBURGER KNIEPPE, 1901) (K.58 IIIb) Soft Ground Etching, Plate 9 ¾ x 8 ¼ sheet 10 ½ x 13 ¾. With the von de Becke blind stamp in the lower right. Prin...
Etching
$278
H 25.6 in W 17.72 in D 0.04 in
Processo-Lawsuit - Etching by Bruno Caruso - 1985
By Bruno Caruso
Located in Roma, IT
Etching on paper. Hand signed. Not numbered. Includes text from "Storia della colonna infame", historic essay by the italian master Alessandro Manzoni. Very good condition.
Etching
Landscape - Original Etching - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Landscape is an original etching artwork by an anonymous artist. Hand-signed on the lower right (illegible) Numbered, edition 36/99. The state of preservation is very good. Sheet...
Etching
$3,000
H 36 in W 26 in
Le Legacy from Historia de Don Quichotte de la Mancha, Etching by Salvador Dali
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Salvador Dali, Spanish (1904 - 1989) Title: Le Legacy from Historia de Don Quichotte de la Mancha Year: 1981 Medium: Etching on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil Edition:...
Etching
$348
H 28.75 in W 21.07 in D 0.08 in
The Lovers - Etching and Aquatint by Franco Gentilini - 1970s
By Franco Gentilini
Located in Roma, IT
The Lovers is an etching and aquatint realized by Franco Gentilini (Italian Painter, 1909-1981) in the 1970s. From the serie "The Tarots" Dry stamp by Il Cigno Stamperia d’Arte. H...
Etching, Aquatint
$3,713
H 10.99 in W 9.49 in
Jonas Wood, Bball Studio - Etching incl. Book and Bag, 2019, Signed Print
By Jonas Wood
Located in Hamburg, DE
Jonas Wood, Bball Studio from 2019 depicts the studio that Wood rented from Ed Ruscha from 2007-2017. This limited edition encompasses an etching in a cardboard case, a hardback edit...
Etching
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