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 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
Solicitor's Head
By Lucian Freud
Located in New York, NY
Lucian Freud Solicitor's Head 2003 Etching on Somerset soft white paper 23 1/4 x 19 inches; 59 x 48 cm Edition of 46 Initialed and numbered in graphite (lower recto) Frame available upon request Published by Matthew Marks Gallery...
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
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
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
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
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
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
Donegal Man
By Lucian Freud
Located in San Francisco, CA
Publisher: Acquavella LLC Printer: Marc Balakjian at Studio Prints, London Edition of 46
Etching
H 34.65 in W 55.12 in D 0.04 in
Figure By Window, Art print, Figures, Modern, Contemporary
By Graham Fransella
Located in Deddington, GB
Figure By Window is a hand made limited edition print by Graham Fransella, displaying a black figure on a orange background. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Figure By Window Graham Fransel...
Etching
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
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
H 19.69 in W 27.56 in D 0.04 in
Landscape - Etching by Gino Guida - 1980s
By Gino Guida
Located in Roma, IT
Etching on paper. hand signed and numbered. Edition of 99. Very good condition.
Etching
H 25.99 in W 20.01 in
Communion
By Eileen Cooper
Located in London, GB
Eileen Cooper is a distinguished British artist celebrated for her expressive and dynamic prints that often explore themes of femininity, relationships, and the natural world. Her wo...
Etching
H 27.56 in W 19.3 in D 0.04 in
Nude - Etching by Giacomo Porzano - 1972
By Giacomo Porzano
Located in Roma, IT
Etching realized by Giacomo Porzano in 1972. Hand signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of 100 in arab numbers and 20 in roman numberd. Excellent condition.
Etching
H 6.3 in W 4.73 in D 0.04 in
Nude - Original Etching by Sergio Barletta - 20th Century
By Sergio Barletta
Located in Roma, IT
Nude is an original etching on cardboard realized by Sergio Barletta. Hand-signed on the lower right in pencil. Titled in Italian on the lower left "Morta di Stampa". In very good ...
Etching
H 10 in W 12 in D 0.07 in
Abstracted Elder Portrait - Etching
By Claudette McElroy
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold, slightly abstracted etching of an elderly woman by Claudette McElroy (American, b. 1943). Signed "Claudette McElroy" in the lower right corner. Presented in a new cream mat. No...
Paper, Ink, Etching
H 7.21 in W 5.32 in
original etching
By Leonard Baskin
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original etching. Printed in 1984 on Cartiere Magnani paper at the atelier of Bruce Chandler in an edition of 1500. This work was executed by Leonard Baskin to illustrate the...
Etching
H 20 in W 16 in
DIE SCHAUSPIELERIN HILDE KORBER
By Max Ackermann
Located in Portland, ME
Ackermann, Max (German, 1887-1975). DIE SCHAUSPIELERIN HILDE KORBER. Etching, 1928. A proof before, or in addition to the edition of 200. Signed and dated "Max Ackermann 1928" in pen...
Etching
H 7.21 in W 5.32 in
original etching
By Leonard Baskin
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original etching. Printed in 1984 on Cartiere Magnani paper at the atelier of Bruce Chandler in an edition of 1500. This work was executed by Leonard Baskin to illustrate the...
Etching
H 22.05 in W 15.75 in D 0.04 in
Nude - Etching by Sergio Barletta - 1980
By Sergio Barletta
Located in Roma, IT
Nude is an original etching realized by Sergio Barletta in 1980 ca. Hand-signed on the lower right in pencil. Numbered, edition of 13/50 prints, on the lower left in pencil. In ver...
Etching
H 13.13 in W 14.88 in
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
H 34.8 in W 28.1 in
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