Episode Details

Lucian Freud’s iconic masterpiece “Sleeping by the Lion Carpet” — featuring model Sue Tilley — is set to auction for £25-35 million, marking its first public sale since being acquired directly from the artist. Created over nine months in the mid-90s, the painting captures Tilley’s raw humanity, despite initial discomfort and Freud’s famously strict standards — including refusing to paint her after she returned from vacation with a tan. Tilley, then a benefits supervisor and nightclub cashier, found the experience transformative and empowering, hoping the work celebrates authenticity and challenges perceptions of beauty. As part of Sotheby’s “The Lewis Collection,” the painting joins a historic lineup expected to surpass £150 million — making this auction not just about one painting, but a landmark moment in art history.

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