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Iconic Freud Muse: Painting Sells for Over £25M
10 Jun
Summary
- Lucien Freud's 'Sleeping by the Lion Carpet' to auction in London.
- The portrait of Sue Tilley may sell for £25m to £35m.
- The painting is the final in a famous quartet of Freud's works.
A significant portrait by Lucien Freud, "Sleeping by the Lion Carpet," is scheduled for auction at Sotheby's in London on June 24th, 2026. This artwork, depicting Sue Tilley, is anticipated to command a price between £25 million and £35 million. The painting represents the final and most ambitious piece in Freud's renowned quartet of large-scale portraits of Tilley.
Tilley, who was Freud's muse, shared that her encounters with the artist were "absolutely hilarious" and "a very pleasant experience." She recounted that each of the four paintings took approximately nine months to complete. "Sleeping by the Lion Carpet" will be displayed starting Wednesday before its sale.
This particular series of paintings has largely entered private collections. In 2015, a painting from this same series achieved a record price for a living artist at the time, selling for £35.9 million. Tilley expressed a wish for the painting to be acquired by someone who would cherish it for its artistic merit rather than its monetary value, ideally for public display in a gallery.
