For Immediate Release Wednesday 3 January 2012 Contact: Dernagh OLeary Hannah Schmidt +44 207 389 2398

+44 207 389 2964 doleary@christies.com hschmidt@christies.com

25 YEARS OF PRINTS BY LUCIAN FREUD TO BE OFFERED AT CHRISTIES IN FEBRUARY

The Printers Proof: Etchings by Lucian Freud from the Studio Prints Archive

The most complete survey of Freuds prints ever to be seen at auction

Lucian Freud (1922-2011), Lord Goodman in his Yellow Pyjamas Estimate: 50,000-70,000

London Christies is proud to announce The Printers Proof: Etchings by Lucian Freud from the Studio Prints Archive, a single-owner sale which will take place on 15 February 2012. Comprising of 45 etchings from the private collection of Lucian Freuds printer Marc Balakjian, it is the most complete survey of the artists prints ever to be sold at auction. The collection will be exhibited in the Museum of Mankind from 16 to 27 January alongside a further six prints on loan from the Studio Prints archive. These etchings present a unique insight into Freuds printmaking and the twenty-five year relationship with his printer that saw it flourish.

Marc Balakjian, Studio Prints: I had the pleasure of working with Lucian in my studio for twenty five years during which time we became good friends; he was always courteous and kind. His work was always exceptional but his character so informal that you would never know he was one of the most important living artists of the time. He was an inspirational artist to work with; his prints dont just enrich his work, they are an integral part of his output. They show his versatility and define him as a great draughtsman.

For over thirty years an anonymous store-front in North London has been a place of pilgrimage for many well-known artists of the late 20th century. In the intimate surroundings of a former Victorian grocers shop, complete with glazed terracotta tiles and marble counter-tops, master printers Marc and Dorothea Balakjian have guided newcomers and old-hands alike through the alchemy that is printing with copper, acid and ink. This unprecedented survey of Freuds prints is the fruit of this relationship, one of the longest in the history of modern printmaking.
Photo: David Dawson

Spanning twenty five years, each one of the 45 etchings in this sale is the product of countless decisions and discussions between the printer and artist, stretching over many months. Freud visited the studio and painstakingly examined each print, often making minute changes in emphasis and contrast, subtle variations in inking known only to the artist and his printer.
Photo: David Dawson

Lucian Freud is often referred to as the foremost figurative artist of the twentieth century. Whilst he is most famous for his paintings, prints played an extremely important role in his oeuvre. In distinct contrast to his vibrant and painterly studies in oil, his prints used a subtle, monochrome approach to etching, a deceptively simple form of printmaking. Unlike the typical printmaker, Freud worked from life directly onto the copper plate which he placed on an easel in front of the sitter, just as he did with his canvases. Although many of the prints on offer are directly related to some of Freuds most famous paintings, such as Portrait Head (estimate: 15,000 25,000, illustrated right), an etching of the artists friend and art critic,

Martin Gayford (who was also the subject of Freuds Man with a Blue Scarf, 2005), the etchings are not reproductions of the paintings but separate and independent studies of the sitter. Gayford sat twice a week for Freud and during this time the artist worked separately on the painting and the etching; though the compositions are similar, there are subtle diffrences in the use of light. While working on the oil painting Gayford sat under a lamp but for the etching, Freud preferred to use natural light placing the sitter facing a window. Freuds etchings are entirely in black and white with only one print in this collection containing any colour: Lord Goodman in his Yellow Pyjamas (estimate: 50,000-70,000, illustrated first page) which was then hand-painted with yellow watercolour by the artist. This portrait depicts Lord Goodman, the well-known public figure who worked for Prime Minister Harold Wilson and was chairman of the British Arts Council. As the only time Lord Goodman could spare was in the mornings while breakfasting in bed, Freud visited his house each day at eight a.m., an exercise which resulted in this striking image of a powerful figure in an unusual setting.

From the 1950s Freud focused mainly on portraiture of the people in his life; friends, family, contemporaries and his children. In this exceptional private collection many figures from Freuds paintings are easily recognizable, perhaps none as much so as the subject of Freuds Benefits Supervisor Sleeping. The oil portrait of Sue Tilley was sold by Christies New York in 2008 for $33.6 million, establishing a world record price for a living artist at the time. Woman Sleeping (estimate: 30,000 50,000, illustrated left) shows Sue Tilley seated and once again depicted in Freuds infamous realism. Freud used models such as Sue repeatedly over his career showing his fascination with each sitter and the way they could be represented with different mediums. Alongside several portraits of his children, including Kai (estimate: 40,000 60,000) and Bella in her Pluto T-Shirt (estimate (estimate: 30,000 50,000), Freud also produced a number of images of the dogs in his life; Pluto aged Twelve (estimate: 50,000 70,000, illustrated right) shows the artists whippet Pluto who spent a lot of time in Freuds studio with his assistant David Dawsons dog, Eli (estimate: 50,000 70,000). His portraits of animals are executed with the same respectful realism he used for his human portraits, illustrating his fascination and reverence of the animal form in all its varieties.
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