The Animals of Lucian FreudFamous for his nudes and portraits as the »painter of the flesh«, the interest in Lucian Freud has again in recent years increased immensely. Freud, who spoke of his human models as »animals dressed«, has also dealt in detail with nonhuman animals in his work. He made no distinction between his models; with both—animals and people—he was in search of their true nature. Selected works in this book highlight three phases in Freud’s work: at the beginning the shaping of dead bodies; then the animal as a companion, connected with the turn to portraiture; at last the English subjects with dog and horse representations. By focusing on depicting animals, the exhibition aims to encourage a new consideration of the artistic development and creative process of Lucian Freud. Exhibition and book encourage a reevaluation of the work of the ninth laureate of the Rubens Prize awarded by the City of Siegen in 1997, whose work is represented at Kunstmuseum Siegen with permanent loans from the private collection Lambrecht-Schadeberg.
Exhibition:
Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen, 1/3–7/6/2015
Lucain Freud, born 1922 in Berlin, died 2011 in London. Robert Hughes—Australian-born British art critic and TV documentarist, described in 1997 as the most famous art critic in the world—proclaimed Lucian Freud 2004 as Britain's greatest living painter. Lucian Freud, grandchild of Sigmund Freud, found in the foretold dead field of portrait painting, his fulfillment. Texts, described by the sitters at Lucian Freud’s studio, declare how surprised the portrayed had been by seeing the finished canvas, after they had the feeling that in the main, nothing had happened. Animals are early models of Lucian Freud and accompany some of his most famous male nude portraits; so the thesis of the exhibition in Siegen was that the animals are portrayed in the same way as human beings. Lucian Freud was awarded several times: 1983 Companion of Honour, 1993 Order of Merit, 1997 Rubens Prize of the city of Siegen, 2004 member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His work was widely received and exhibited since his death, most recently at the Tate Britain 2018 in London, 2016/17 at the MoMA New York, 2013 at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, 2012 National Portrait Gallery in London, 2010 Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, 2008 Gemeentemuseum Den Haag in The Hague, and 2007/08 with The Etchings at MoMA New York.
