Lucien Freud's £35M Muse: The Woman Who Posed Naked and Charmed Art World

A well-known painting of a woman from Sussex is about to be auctioned in London this June. The artwork, called Sleeping by the Lion Carpet, was created by the famous artist Lucian Freud. Experts believe it could sell for between £25 million and £35 million at Sotheby's, one of the world's most prestigious auction houses. The woman in the painting is Sue Tilley, who became Freud's model and muse. Sue has been painted by Freud several times, and she says she is still amazed by all the attention. 'I can't quite believe it is happening,' she told reporters. Sue, who lives in St Leonards, East Sussex, explained that she met Lucian Freud by chance. Her close friend, Leigh Bowery, who was a well-known fashion designer and performance artist, introduced her to Freud. Sue described the meeting as pure luck.

Sue Tilley shared that Lucian Freud painted her four times, and each painting took about nine months to complete. She would usually have a bit of breakfast with Freud before they started, and then they would chat while he worked on the painting. Sue said the experience was very pleasant, even though she had to pose without clothes. 'I am not a nudist as such,' she explained, but she didn't mind sitting in the chair naked for the sake of art. At first, Sue didn't like the painting because she thought it made her look unattractive. However, over time, she has come to accept it. 'I think I've gotten used to it now. I am what I am. Imagine if everyone wants to be stick thin, it'd be boring, wouldn't it? ' she said.

According to Sotheby's, Sleeping by the Lion Carpet is the final and most ambitious painting in Freud's series of large portraits of Sue Tilley. Most of the other paintings in this series are now in private collections, including one owned by Roman Abramovich, the billionaire and former owner of Chelsea football club. The last time a painting from this series was sold at auction, it set a record for any living artist at the time, selling for £35. 9 million in 2015. Sue Tilley hopes that whoever buys the painting will truly appreciate it for its artistic value, not just as an investment. She said she would love for the painting to be displayed in a gallery so that everyone could enjoy it. The painting will be on public display starting Wednesday and will be auctioned on 24 June.