One of Britain's leading realist painters, Freud created compositions that often reveal the humanity of his subjects while vividly depicting their physical presence. The sitter for this picture, Leigh Bowery, was an Australian performance artist in London and one of Freud's favorite models. Ironically, although Bowery was known for his outlandish costumes and makeup, Freud recorded him here unclothed, squatting ponderously on a low, wide stool in the artist's studio. The terrain of his fleshy, mountainous back is almost sculpted by the artist's thick application of paint. In essence, this is not a traditional portrait, but a still life of skin.
the artist, London (1992–93; sold through Acquavella Contemporary Art, Inc., New York, to MMA)
London. Whitechapel Art Gallery. "Lucian Freud: Recent Work," September 10–November 21, 1993, no. 85.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Lucian Freud: Recent Work," December 16, 1993–March 13, 1994, no. 85.
Madrid. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. "Lucian Freud: Recent Work," April 6–June 13, 1994, no. 85.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Recent Acquisitions: 1993–1995," July 28–September 24, 1995, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions," October 24, 2008–February 1, 2009, online catalogue.
Nashville. Frist Center for the Visual Arts. "Paint Made Flesh," Jan 23–May 10, 2009, unnumbered cat. (pl. 19).
Washington, D. C. Phillips Collection. "Paint Made Flesh," June 20–September 13, 2009, unnumbered cat.
Paris. Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou. "Lucian Freud, The Studio," March 10–July 19, 2010, unnumbered cat. (p. 147).
New York. Acquavella Galleries. "Lucian Freud: Monumental," April 5–May 24, 2019, unnumbered cat. (p. 46).
Barbara Burn, ed. Masterpieces of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1993, p. 311, ill. (color).
William S. Lieberman in "Recent Acquisitions. A Selection, 1992–1993." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 51 (Fall 1993), pp. 64–65, ill. (color).
Michael Kimmelman. "At the Met with Elizabeth Murray: Looking for the Magic in Painting." New York Times (October 21, 1994), p. C28.
Margalit Fox. "Model Behavior: Pose for Lucian Freud and who recognizes you?" New York Times (January 9, 1994), p. V4.
Barbara Burn, ed. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide. 2nd rev. ed. (1st ed., 1983). New York, 1994, p. 453, no. 38, ill. (color).
David Alan Mellor. Interpreting Lucian Freud. Exh. cat., Tate Britain. London, 2002, p. 35, fig. 20.
Emily Braun inPaint Made Flesh. Ed. Mark W. Scala. Exh. cat., Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Nashville, 2009, pp. 34, 118, colorpl. 19, identifies the model as Leigh Bowery.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide. New York, 2012, p. 434, ill. (color).
Rosie Broadley. "Chronology." Lucian Freud: Painting People. London, 2012, ill. p. 31 (color, studio shot).
Kathryn Calley Galitz. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Masterpiece Paintings. New York, 2016, p. 534, ill. (color), colorpl. 493.
Max Hollein. Modern and Contemporary Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2019, ill. p. 153 (color).
Kathryn Calley Galitz. How to Read Portraits. New York, 2024, p. 107, fig. 56 (color).
Associate Curator Jennifer Farrell discusses the works on paper by Lucian Freud and Brice Marden that are currently on view in the Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Gallery.
Lucian Freud (British (born Germany), Berlin 1922–2011 London)
1992
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![Lucian Freud, (British [born Germany], 1922–2011). Ill in Paris, 1948. Etching; plate: 5 1/8 x 7 in. (13 x 17.8 cm), sheet: 10 3/4 x 13 in (27.3 x 33 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of William S. Lieberman (2005 2007.49.613)](https://www.metmuseum.org/-/media/images/blogs/now-at-the-met/2015/2015_08/existentialism-and-abstraction/ill-in-paris.jpg?sc_lang=en&hash=F66131CF3C5C6811A70F9DD049B1282F)
