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.
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
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
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
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
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
$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
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
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
$600
H 30.5 in W 23.2 in
"Hand Knitters II" 2003 original hand signed engraving limited edition 30x23in.
By Agustín Bejarano
Located in Miami, FL
Agustin Bejarano (Cuba, 1964) 'Tejedoras de mano II', 2003 engraving on paper Guarro Biblos 250g. 30.6 x 23.3 in. (77.5 x 59 cm.) Edition of 20 Unfram...
Aquatint
Playing With Fire, by Art Werger
By Art Werger
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Medium: Etching and Aquatint Year: 2024 Edition: 25 Image Size: 12 x 18 inches Signed, titled and numbered in pencil by the artist Dramatic etching of a male nude juggler performing...
Etching, Aquatint
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
$1,038
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
$998
H 36 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
Original Midget Dream #1 psychedelic 1967 vintage poster - popart
By Peter Max
Located in Spokane, WA
Original Peter Max’s “Midget Dream #1” vintage psychedelic poster. In very fine condition, never displayed, and ready to frame. Grade...
Offset
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
$2,250
H 30 in W 25 in D 1 in
La Dame de Trefle (Queen of Clubs), Hand Signed Etching and Pochoir, 1970
By Man Ray
Located in Aventura, FL
Etching and pochoir in white ink on black paper. Hand signed lower right by Man Ray. Hand numbered 89/100 lower left. Anselmino 87; Slusher 244. Artwork size: 25.25 x 19.75 inche...
Paper, Etching
$2,054
H 21.46 in W 16.74 in D 0.04 in
Ben Alexander Etching, Expressionist Style, Signed, 11/20, Framed
By Erich Heckel
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph on laid paper realized by Heckel in 1927. Signed and dated in pencil lower right. Hand numbered 11/20 lower left. Provenance: Galerie Vayhinger, Radolfzell, Private Col...
Etching
$595
H 32 in W 21.5 in
Backlighting Etching, Contemporary Style, Signed, Edition of 50, 1990s
By Paolo Ciampini
Located in New Orleans, LA
"Backlighting" was issued in an edition of 50. Paolo Ciampini was born in Montopoli in Val d'Arno in 1941. After graduating from the Art Institute of Cascina (Pisa) in 1962, he com...
Etching
$4,337
H 11.5 in W 7.6 in D 0.08 in
Y se le quema la casa - Etching by Francisco Goya - 1799
By Francisco Goya
Located in Roma, IT
Y se le quema la casa is plate n. 18 (of 80) of the series Los Caprichos by Goya. This etching is an excellent proof of the first edition of 1799, before the bevels. Plate 17,9x12,...
Etching
$1,038
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
Head, Expressionist Lithograph by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Long Island City, NY
Alberto Giacometti, Swiss (1901 - 1966) - Head From Derriere Le Miroir no. 127, Year: 1961, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: ~2500, Size: 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.94 cm), Publisher: M...
Lithograph
$1,038
H 9.26 in W 7.09 in
Waning Moon - 21st Century Contemporary Landscape Etching
By Charles Donker
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Charles Donker Waning Moon 23,5 x 18 (Framed included in price, 44,5 x 37 cm) Etching on paper The etchings of Charles Donker are admired and collected both in the Netherlands and a...
Etching
$1,038
H 9.45 in W 13.39 in
Leusderheide - 21st Century Contemporary Landscape Etching
By Charles Donker
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Charles Donker Leusderheide 24 x 34 (Framed included in price, 46,5 x 54,5 cm) Etching on paper The etchings of Charles Donker are admired and collected both in the Netherlands and ...
Etching
$1,800
H 21 in W 31 in
Monuments, Surreal Allegorical Etching, A.P. 21 x 31 in, Framed Print
By David Becker
Located in Chicago, IL
"Descriptions I have heard or read of my work, most of which either delight or offend me, are: allegorical, apocalyptic, provocative, prophetic, dream-like, surreal, fantastic, weird, frightening, disturbing, demanding, despairing, disgusting, irrelevant, inspiring, old, new-old, fascinating, morbid, medieval, bizarre, cathartic, mystery-plays (I like that), and well drawn." - David Becker David Becker Monuments etching & engraving 21h x 31w in 53.34h x 78.74w cm A.P. DB0022 This etching is matted and framed behind plexiglass. The frame and Plexi may show signs of wear. Contact gallery for detail report. David Becker Exhibitions 2017 Coming Attractions, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2012 Eye Teeth Group Show, Paint Creek Center for the Arts, Rochester, MI 2011 Art Chicago 2011, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2010 Art Chicago 2010, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2009 David Becker Retrospective, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2009, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL The 184th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, National Academy Museum, NYC Selections, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2008 Art Chicago 2008, Represented by Ann Nathan Gallery, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2007 Unruly Muse, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL SOFA NY (Sculptural Objects Functional Art), Ann Nathan Gallery, 7th Regiment Armory, NY, NY Art Chicago, Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2006 Palm Beach³, Ann Nathan Gallery, Palm Beach, FL 2005 SOFA NY (Sculptural Objects Functional Art), Ann Nathan Gallery, 7th Regiment Armory, NY, NY Art Chicago in the Park, Butler Field, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Palm Beach³, Ann Nathan Gallery, Palm Beach, FL 2004 Contemporary Prints: National Academy Museum Collection, National Academy of Design, NYC Art Chicago 2004, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Fantastic & Visionary Art, touring exhibit: Orange, Manning, Riddoch, & Ballart Gallery, Australia Return of the Men, Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2003 Art Chicago 2003, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Fantastic & Visionary Art, touring exhibit: Orange Regional Gallery, New South Wales, Australia National Academy of Design 178th Annual Exhibition, NY, NY 2002 Art Chicago 2002, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art of the 20th Century, Ann Nathan Gallery, Park Ave. Armory, NY, NY Outsider Art Fair, The Puck Building @ Houston & Lafayette Sts., NYC Self and Other Portraits, Wisconsin Artists, Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI Return of the Men, Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2001 Beyond the 50's, May 4 - July 1, Exhibit A, A Gallery of Art & Design, Birmingham, Michigan Outsider Art Fair, January 26-28, The Puck Building @ Houston & Lafayette Sts., NYC "FANTASTIC ART", April/May, Orange Regional Gallery, Orange NSW, Australia. David Becker: Etchings and Engravings, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, solo exhibition of prints, February. 2000 Four person exhibition, Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia, Oct. 31 - Nov. 27, 2000. 1999 National Academy 174th Annual Exhibition, NY University of Wisconsin-Madison Faculty, Elvehjem Museum of Art, Madison, WI Treasures Revealed: 19th and 20th Century American Works on Paper, National Academy, NY 1995 Bharat Bhavan International Biennial of Prints, Bhopal, India Contemporary Prints, Selections from John Szoke Gallery, NYC, Drew University, Madison, NJ Collection Update, 1994, National Academy of Design Museum, NY 1994 David Becker and Robert Sholties, Peconic Gallery, Suffolk Community College, Riverhead, NY In Black and White: Works by Four Printmakers, Atrium Gallery, University of Connecticut, Storrs Aesthetics of Athletics: Sports, Games, and Exercise, Charles A. Wustum Musem, Racine, WI GMI IX Award Winners, Art Center Gallery, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg 1993 Take Home a Nude benefit auction, NY Academy of Art Graduate School Of Figurative Art, NY 1993 American Prints: Last Half 20th Century, Jane Haslem Gallery, Washingtion, DC Outstanding American Prints, Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha,WI National Academy of Design 168th Annual Exhibition, NY David Becker: Etchings, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Portraits, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA 1992 The Print Fair, 7th Regiment Armory, NY 1991 166th Annual Exhibition, National Academy of Design, NY Alma College Collection, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan Modes of Expression, Potsdam College, SUNY, Potsdam, NY 1990 With Nothing On, Prints and Drawings of the Nude, New Orleans Museum of Art, LA Prints by Printmakers, Staller Art Center, SUNY-Stonybrook, NY Publications/Reviews 2007 November 60 Years of North American Prints: 1947-2007, Boston U. Art Gallery, Boston, MA 2003 July 11 Isthmus, Madison, “Welcome to My Nightmare,” by Robert Cozzolino. 2001 March 14 The Wall Street Journal, "Time Off: A Week of Diversions." Review of Progressive Printmakers (LVM) exhibition. 2001 February Isthmus, Madison, "America's Printland," by Jennifer Smith. 2001 February Capital Times, "The Crowned Prints," by Kevin Lynch. 1999 July Progressive Printmakers: Wisconsin Artists & the Print Renaissance. 1995 – 1999 Who’s Who in America. 1993 Summer The Journal of the Print World, review. March 14 The New York Times, review. March 12 The Daily Oklahoman, review. 1990 Dec. 13 The Capital Times, review. April 28 The Washingtion Post, review. March 25 The New York Times, review. Summer The Journal of the Print World, review. Selected Collections - additional collections available on requestArkansas Arts Center Foundation, Little Rock, AR Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Brooklyn Museum, NYC Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI Elvehjem Museum of Art, U of Wisconson-Madison Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI Library of Congress, Washington, DC Metropolitan Museum, Miami, FL Museo de Arte Moderno, Cali, Columbia National Academy, NY, NY National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC New York Public Library, NY Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, MA United States Information Agency, Prague, Czech. Alberta College of Art, Alberta, Canada Albion College, Albion, MI Alma College, Alma, MI Art Center, South Bend, IN AT&T Corporate HQ, Plainfield, NJ Boston Printmakers, Boston, MA Bradley University, Peoria, IL Columbia Green Community College, Hudson, NY Columbus State University, Columbus, GA Davidson College, Davidson, NC Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA Georgia State University – Atlanta Hope College, Holland, MI Hunterdon Art Center, Clinton, NJ Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS Madison Art Center, Madison, WI Marui Imai Inc., Sapporo, Japan Milwaukee Art Center, Milwaukee, WI Minot Art Association, Minot, ND North Carolina Print/Drawing Society, Charlotte, NC North Texas State University – Denton Ohio University – Athens Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma State University, OK Quad Graphics, Milwaukee, WI Silvermine Guild of Arts, New Canaan, CT Springfield College, Springfield, MA St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY State University of New York – Fredonia State University of New York – Potsdam Trenton State College, Trenton, NJ University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ University of Colorado-Boulder University of Dallas, TX University of Louisville, Louisville, KN University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada University of North Dakota – Grand Forks University of South Dakota – Vermillion University of Tennesse – Knoxville West Chester State College, West Chester, PA Western Kentucky University – Bowling Green Private Collections Carla Leighton, New York, NY Marc Hauser, Chicago, IL Michael John Hofer, Chicago, IL Drs. Mark & Helene Connolly, River Forest, IL Jamie Kalikow, New York, NY Dianne & Jim Blanco, Chicago, IL Denise Roberge, Palm Desert, CA Tish & Philip Messinger, Creskill, NJ Brian Wesphal & Michael McVicker, Chicago, IL Ralph Privoznik, Lafayette, IN Candice Groot, Evanston, IL Shomaker/Ruud Collection, Chicago, IL Braden Berkey and Robert Bartlett, Chicago, IL Bill and Karyn Silverstein, Highland Park, IL Steve Weitz, Lovettsville, VA Mary Allice Wimmer, Madison, WI Ann & Robert Avery...
Engraving, 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