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When Sue Tilley met Lucian Freud, it changed her life. Now a painting of her could fetch $47 million
Sue Tilley says the portrait shows big women can do well as the auction house estimates the work could fetch up to £35 million.
- On Friday, Sotheby's announced that Lucian Freud's "Sleeping by the Lion Carpet", a portrait of Sue Tilley, will be auctioned on June 24 with an estimate of up to £35 million as part of The Lewis Collection.
- Dating from 1995 to 1996, the painting is the final work in Freud's monumental quartet of portraits, with Tilley, a former Job Centre employee, sitting for the artist three times weekly over nine months.
- Tilley described the nine-month sitting process as "very pleasurable", noting Freud's intense focus; previous portraits of her have fetched record prices, including £35.9 million for "Benefits Supervisor Resting" in 2015.
- Works by Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, and Egon Schiele accompany the portrait in The Lewis Collection, collectively valued at more than 150 million pounds, making it the most valuable collection ever offered in the UK.
- Public viewing at the auction house begins June 10 and runs until June 23, allowing collectors to examine the works before the final sale takes place on June 24-25.
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The IndependentReposted by 
The Independent (US)
The Independent (US)‘Big girls can do well’ says Lucian Freud muse as portrait could fetch £35m
Freud painted benefits supervisor Sue Tilley in numerous works between 1993 and 1996
·London, United Kingdom
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Associated Press News+24 Reposted by 24 other sources
When Sue Tilley met Lucian Freud, it changed her life. Now a painting of her could fetch $47 million
Sue Tilley was working in an unemployment office when she met artist Lucian Freud. His paintings of her in the 1990s are now famous, and very valuable.
·New York, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources32
Leaning Left14Leaning Right2Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution52% Left
Bias Distribution
- 52% of the sources lean Left
52% Left
L 52%
C 41%
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