Reflection (Self-portrait), 1983-85 by Lucian Freud
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Medium: Archival pigment print on 310gsm Hahnemühle German Etching paper
Dimensions: 48.90 x 44.80 cm
Edition production year: 2025
Price on request
Status: available
An intimate self-portrait by seminal British painter Lucian Freud becomes a new limited edition print. Reflection (Self-portrait), 1983-85 was painted across two years during the artist’s mature period, in oil on canvas. The artwork is one of deep introspection, emphasised by the use of coarse hog hair brushes to create thick, heavy textures indicative of time, ageing and experience. Our expert printmakers at Make-Ready closely collaborated with Lucian Freud Estate and Bridgeman Images to reproduce Reflection (Self-portrait), 1983-85, using high-resolution photography and 310gsm Hahnemühle German Etching paper, specifically chosen by the Estate for its unique textured surface and premium quality. Reflection (Self-portrait), 1983-85 is one of four limited edition prints by Lucian Freud Estate celebrating the evolution of the British painter's evocative style from 1947 to 1986.
Why collect this work?
A severe frontal crop and sharply divided illumination make this self-portrait less a stable likeness than a study of how a face is constructed through looking.
- The artist profile describes Freud’s sustained attention to flesh and presence; here, turning that scrutiny upon himself collapses the usual separation between painter and sitter.
- In the photograph, the bare shoulders anchor a nearly symmetrical pose, while unequal passages of light fracture the forehead, cheeks and neck. The direct gaze holds the composition together without softening it.
- Catalogue metadata identifies this as a 2025 archival pigment edition after the 1983–85 oil painting. The textured 310gsm paper may carry tonal and surface variation, but reproduction also makes translation between paint, photograph and ink part of the work’s encounter.
- This edition provides a concrete case for examining how a physically worked painted self-image enters wider circulation, retaining its concentrated facial structure while changing medium, scale and historical status.
About the Artist
Lucian Freud
Lucian Freud is an artist featured in the Mondoir Collection.
Nationality: British
