Man with a Bloody Paintbrush

Robin Simon | Literary Review | 3rd December 2018

For most artists, a two-volume book of one’s paintings would signify recognition. A new luxe collection of Lucien Freud’s works feels different. Is it a celebration of his portraiture or just a marketing opportunity?  “There is nothing remotely critical in these books about either the art or the man”. Or, as another critic puts it “more a monument than a book”.