Freud Art Record Possible

Lucien Freud's painting of Bruce Bernard, the brother of the legendary bon viveur Jeffrey Bernard, and part of his "Soho circle" of artists and writers, is expected to fetch a record £5.5m at art auction on 20 June. Bernard, who died in 2000, worked as a journalist and was a former art director ofThe Independent. He was a friend to Freud for many years and edited a series of books and monographs on the artist. The two men met on the Soho scene and Bernard began socialising with the key affiliates of the "School of London" artists, a circle which included Frank Auerbach and Francis Bacon. The pair would drink regularly in Soho, along with Jeffrey Bernard, who was immortalised in Keith Waterhouse's play Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell. The work, painted in 1992, captures the casual intimacy between them, showing Bernard standing on the floorboards of Freud's studio in Holland Park, west London, with white rags that were used by the painter to clean his brushes, piled in a corner. It is believed to be the most important painting by Freud ever to appear at auction. (For full source and article click the Headline). Irish Art