Previously Unknown Work By Lucian Freud To Go On Sale

'Sketch of Goldie' estimate up to £60,000 at Chiswick Auctions Sale of British Art

Lucian Freud (1922-2011) is widely regarded as one of the most important figurative painters of the 20th century and not many of his canvases have remained unknown – that is until now.

Chiswick Auctions is delighted to announce the discovery of a new work by the artist, titled Sketch of Goldie. Executed in charcoal on canvas, the work is the preliminary workings out of a composition that he left incomplete dating from circa 2003. It is estimated to fetch between £40,000-60,000 in Chiswick Auctions Modern & Post-War British Art sale on Tuesday 3 December.

Never before seen in public, the study offers a rare insight into Freud’s practice and his life-time interest in horses. In 2003 Freud embarked on the work at the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre in west London, established and run by Sister Mary-Joy Langdon.

Over the next three years (2003-2006) Freud returned frequently to paint at the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre, completing three of his finest oil horse portraits there: Grey Gelding (2003, {Private Collection), Skewbald Mare (2004, Collection of the Duke of Devonshire) and Mare Eating Hay (2006, Private Collection).

Having painted the Arab gelding Releef at the stables face on, Freud chose to depict Goldie, the subject of the work to be offered for sale, side-on, and with the head partly truncated.

Commenting on the discovery of this exciting work, Krassi Kuneva, Head of Sale, Modern & Post-War British Art at Chiswick Auctions, said: “It is rare to see such preliminary workings out of a composition by Lucian Freud. He normally destroyed anything that he deemed unfinished or unworthy. In this case, instead of demolishing it, he left it in Mary-Joy’s hands, providing us with an exciting, intimate view of how he formed his initial ideas on canvas.”

Further commenting on the distinctive composition of Sketch of Goldie Krassi Kuneva continued: “The composition of Sketch of Goldie is also very revealing. Freud’s placement of his subject on the canvas is always a distinctive feature of his work. Goldie’s cropped muzzle in this instance is one the canvas’s defining features, giving the work a particular energy. While Freud didn’t see eye to eye with this particular horse and left the work unfinished, the composition was a device he clearly wanted to explore further and the truncated side-on pose became a feature of his subsequent horse portraits that he completed at the Pony Centre – namely the Skewbald Mare of 2004 and Mare Eating Hay of 2006.”

The sale will also include Freud's original palette, paints and brushes, used in the creation of some of his greatest horse-themed works.

Sketch of Goldie will be offered in Chiswick Auctions Modern & Post-War British Art sale on Tuesday 3 December. All profits from the sale will go to the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre, which is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year, where Freud was artist in residence between 2002-2006 (lots 16-20).

Viewing starts this Saturday, 30 November at 11:00am with a drinks reception on Monday 2nd December 6:00-8:30pm

As well as the works by Freud, the sale presents a selection of exciting works by both widely recognised British artists and some lesser known names. Highlights from private collections include fascinating examples by Edward Wadsworth, Roger Fry, Alfred Wolmark, John Hoyland, Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, Mary Fedden, along with rarely seen pieces from the collections of Katharine ‘Kitty’ Church; Alfred and Helen Mignano; Florence Lindon-Travers, the actress famous for her leading roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s movies, among many more

November 29, 2019