The Duchess of Cambridge goes solo at one man show
Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge, will carry out her first official duty, on her own, this evening, when she visits the National Portrait Gallery, to view the Lucian Freud portrait exhibition. Kate who has a degree in history of art from St Andrews became patron of the gallery, late last year.
Freud who was considered the best figurative artist of his generation, created controversy with his portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in 2001 when he depicted the monarch with a bold and unforgiving realism. It was described by critics as “Painted with a strong sense of duty and Hanoverian roots” and concluded that the work is “thought provoking” and “every bit as good” as previous efforts. The chief art critic of The Times, Richard Cork, described the image as “painful, brave, honest, stoical and, above all, clear sighted”.
The exhibition which opens on 9 February is set to be one of the must see art events of 2012.
Lucian Freud was one of the most important and influential artists of the 20th century. Paintings of people were central to his work and this major exhibition, spanning over seventy years, is the first to focus on his portraiture. Produced in close collaboration with the late Lucian Freud, the exhibition concentrates on particular periods and groups of sitters which illustrate Freud’s stylistic development and technical virtuosity. Insightful paintings of the artist’s lovers, friends and family, referred to by the artist as the ‘people in my life’, will demonstrate the psychological drama and unrelenting observational intensity of his work. Featuring over 100 works from museums and private collections throughout the world, some of which have never been seen before, this is an unmissable opportunity to experience the work of one of the world’s greatest artists. Freud was a towering and uncompromising figure in the art world for more than 50 years.
He was born in Berlin in 1922. He held the Ordre du Mérite and the Order of the Companions of Honour. Recent solo exhibitions include: Centre Pompidou, Paris (2010); Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (2008); The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2008); and Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2007). Art critic William Feaver is the author of Lucian Freud (New York: Rizzoli, 2007), the most comprehensive publication on the artist to date; he is currently engaged on Freud’s biography. Freud died last July age 88.
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Lucian Freud Bares All At National Portrait Gallery