Lucian Freud

Lucian Freud (1922–2011) was born in Berlin, Germany, and emigrated to England with his family in 1933 to escape the rise of Nazism. He spent most of his life in London, where he lived and worked until his death. A grandson of Sigmund Freud, he became one of the most significant British painters of the 20th century, celebrated for his psychologically intense and unflinching portraits and nudes. Working primarily in oil, Freud developed a meticulous and visceral style, often painting friends, family, and lovers in prolonged sittings that captured the vulnerability and physicality of his subjects. His work is housed in major collections worldwide, including Tate, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Freud received numerous accolades during his career, notably being appointed to the Order of Merit in 1993. He was a dominant figure in the post-war British art scene, and his market remains exceptionally strong and highly liquid. Several of his paintings have achieved record-breaking prices at auction, underlining his continued prominence in both institutional and private collecting spheres.