Lucian Freud’s landmark exhibition to mark the centenary of his birth finishes next Sunday 22nd January at London’s National Gallery, so head on down there while you can.
Freud (1922-2011) was one of Britain’s most renowned figurative painters. Born in Berlin, and the grandson of the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, his family fled the Nazis in 1933 and moved to London. Freud started painting at a young age and, realizing his unique talent, quickly dedicated his life to his work. This dedication was extreme, to the point that relationships and parenthood played second fiddle to his art.
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Freud’s career spanned nearly seven decades during which he painted friends, lovers, queers, family members, famous people, royalty, and working-class Londoners. He managed to capture humanity at its rawest, in very sparse environments, with a full depth of character. His work combines his intense gaze, attention to detail, and unique skill in applying paint to canvas.
Freud was sexually and emotionally very fluid and slept with both men and women and fathered several children with various women. Past male lovers are said to include the poet Stephen Spender. He was part of a coterie of queers, artists, and reprobates who held a debauched court in London’s legendary Colony Room Club in Soho, alongside fellow friend and artist Francis Bacon. These people all feature in his work.
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This show is organized both chronologically and thematically to showcase the development of his work from the 1940s onwards. Highlights include Girl with Roses, a portrait of Freud’s first wife, artist Kathleen Garman, as well as portraits of fellow artists, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, and Frank Auerbach. Other noteworthy pieces include Man in a Blue Shirt, which beautifully captures Bacon’s boyfriend George Dyer and Sleeping by the Lion Carpet, featuring Sue Tilley.
Freud had a particular skill and fascination with painting human flesh, including naked self-portraits. Naked Portrait II (1979-80) is another exhibition highlight. The portrayal of intimacy was another of Freud’s interests and Two Men (1987-88) is one of my favorite pieces in the show, as is Naked Man with his Friend (1978-80)
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A brutal, yet tender, show. It’s great to see raw humanity stripped of all consumerist trappings. Highly recommended.
10/10
The Credit Suisse Exhibition Lucian Freud: New Perspectives The National Gallery, London Until 22 January 2023
Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
P.S.
Art historian Gregory Salter considers Lucian Freud’s paintings of naked bodies in the age of Section 28, the early years of HIV AIDS, and preoccupations about class and gender
