Auction house Phillips will auction a rare and important American collection of 32 etchings by the celebrated British artist and master printmaker Lucian Freud on October 15 in London. The works will be showcased in a dedicated exhibition on the seventh floor of Phillips’ Berkley Square galleries and saleroom from October 9 to 15 before the stand-alone auction on October 15.The impressive collection spans the years 1982 to 2004, a period that begins with the year that Freud returned to etching following a 34-year hiatus from the medium. In addition to depictions of his most famous sitters such as Sue Tilley, Leigh Bowery, David Dawson, and his daughter, Bella, the group also includes canine portraits, landscape, and works after old masters.The highlight of the collection is one of only two extant unpublished proofs of the circa 1985 work “Naked Man on a Sofa,” neither of which have previously appeared at auction. According to Phillips, the work (estimate £120,000-180,000) signals the beginning of an important development in Freud’s practice when he gained the confidence to attempt more complex and challenging etchings.Accompanying the exhibition will be a catalogue with an introduction written by Sue Tilley, Freud’s muse for four years in the 1990s and the model for a number of his most famous works including “Benefits Supervisor Resting” 1994 which set a new auction record for the artist when it sold for £35.8million at Christie’s May 2015 Post-War and Contemporary Art evening sale in Manhattan.“Lucian Freud 32 Etchings: Property from an Important American Collection” is on view at Phillips London from October 9 to 15. More info here.
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