Contents:
- LUCIAN FRD’S GAY RELATNSHIPS EXPLORED NEW EXHIBN
- LUCIAN FRDS GAY RELATNSHIPS DISVERED LATT NVENTN
- WAS FRD “GAY-FRIENDLY?"
- FRD, INTERPTEDLUCIAN FRD, WHO DIED LAST YEAR, STILL CREATG MASTERPIEC AT 88, WAS TENSELY PRIVATE, REJECTG THE IA THAT AN ARTIST’S LIFE MATTERED TO HIS ART. BUT SIGMUND’S GRANDSON, ARGUABLY THE GREATT PORTRA PATER OF HIS ERA, FED HIS CLOST BONDS HIS STUD. WH TWO MAJOR FRD RETROSPECTIV VIEW, DAVID KAMP LEARNS THAT THOSE WHO SAT FOR HIM—DUCHS, DRAG QUEENS, MOST OF HIS WOMEN, AND MANY OF HIS CHILDREN—WILL NEVER FET WHAT THEY DISVERED.BY DAVID KAMPJANUARY 16, 2012SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVELUCIAN FRD’S FAL PORTRA IS OF A NAKED MAN AND A DOG. IT IS UNFISHED BUT OTHERWISE BETRAYS NO SIGN OF THE AGEDNS OF S CREATOR, WHO DIED LAST JULY 20, HALFWAY THROUGH HIS 89TH YEAR. THE SLE IS BIG, A SQUARE NVAS OF ABOUT FIVE FEET BY FIVE FEET, AND THE BSHWORK IS AS SURE AND LAYERED AS ANY PATG HE HAD EVER DONE—SMOOTH AND EE AROUND THE MAN’S SHOULRS, CSTY AND IMPASTOED ALONG THE ARMS. THE PALETTE IS CSIAN-FLHY OM AFAR BUT REMARKABLY VARIED AND TRITE UP CLOSE: PURPL AND GREENS THE MAN’S LEGS, VIVID STREAKS OF YELLOW HIS RIGHT HAND, ST AND BLUE AT THE NGHTY BS.FOR THE LAST 57 YEARS OF HIS LIFE, FRD PATED STANDG UP RATHER THAN STG DOWN; THE PHYSIL RTRICTNS OF SEATED PATG, HE SAID, HAD BEGUN GETTG HIM “MORE AND MORE AGATED” THE 1950S, SO HE KICKED THE CHAIR AWAY. PATG ON HIS FEET REQUIRED EXTRAORDARY STAMA, GIVEN FRD’S SELF-IMPOSED WORK SCHLE: A MORNG SSN WH ONE MOL, AN AFTERNOON BREAK, AND AN EVENG SSN WH ANOTHER MOL, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, ALL YEAR ROUND. WHAT’S MORE, THE SSNS HAD A TENNCY TO STRETCH ON: A LIBERATE WORKER, FRD TOOK 6, 12, 18 MONTHS OR LONGER TO PLETE A PATG, MARATHONG TO THE NIGHT IF THE MOOD STCK. BUT HE HAD STAMA SPAS. PATG WAS HIS WORKOUT; HE TOOK NO OTHER EXERCISE, AND YET PHOTOGRAPHS OF HIM WORKG SHIRTLS 2005, WHEN HE WAS 82, SHOW HIM TO BE LEAN AND ALL SEW, A JOCKEY-SIZE IGGY POP.BUT BY JUNE 2011, FRD REGNIZED THAT HIS BODY WAS FALLY FAILG HIM, AND THAT HE HAD ONLY SO MANY BSHSTROK LEFT. THE NAKED MAN THE PORTRA WAS PLETED, BUT THE DOG, A TAN-AND-WHE WHIPPET, WOULD NEVER GET S HD LEGS. FRD PRRIZED S HEAD AND FACE, ADDG A LTLE DART OF TERRE VERTE (“GREEN EARTH”) MIXED WH UMBER TO PICT THE TIP OF THE ANIMAL’S PRICKED-UP RIGHT EAR. IN EARLY JULY, FRD WAS ADDRSG THE PATG’S FOREGROUND: THE FOLDS AND RIPPL THE SHEET THAT VERED THE LOW PLATFORM UPON WHICH HIS TWO MOLS SPRAWLED. HERE AND THERE, AS HIS ENERGY PERMTED, HE APPLIED QUICK STROK OF FLAKE WHE, A THICK, LEAD-HEAVY PAT, TO THE LOWER PART OF THE NVAS.THAT WAS AS FAR AS HE GOT. ABLE TO STAND NO LONGER, HE AT LAST RETIRED TO HIS BEDROOM, ONE FLOOR UP OM THE STUD HE KEPT HIS GEIAN TOWN HOE WT LONDON. AS HE LAY BED, IENDS AND FAY GATHERED TO PAY THEIR RPECTS. THERE WERE MANY VISORS OM BOTH TEGORI. FRD HAD AN OTHERWORLDLY MAGISM THAT HIS TIMAT STGGLE TO PUT TO WORDS. DEBORAH CAVENDISH, THE DOWAGER DUCHS OF DEVONSHIRE, ONCE ASCRIBED TO HIM “A SORT OF STARRY QUALY … AN EXTRAORDARY SORT OF MERCURIAL THG. HE’S LIKE SOMETHG NOT QUE LIKE A HUMAN BEG, MORE LIKE A WILL-O’-THE-WISP.” OVER THE URSE OF HIS LIFE HE FATHERED 14 ACKNOWLEDGED CHILDREN WH SIX WOMEN. AMONG HIS NE DGHTERS ARE THE FASHN SIGNER BELLA FRD AND THE NOVELIST ESTHER FRD. TWO WEEKS TO THEIR BEDSI VIGIL, HE WAS GONE.FRD’S WAS NOT ONE OF THOSE POSTSCRIPT ATHS, THE FAL HEADLE A LIFE THAT HAD LONG AGO CEASED TO MATTER OR PROGRS. IT WAS AN TERPTN—THE ULTIMATE NVENIENCE FOR A MAN WHO STILL HAD PLENTY OF WORK TO DO AND PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO SEE HIS WORK. THE RTRATR JEREMY KG, WHO WAS MORE THAN A HUNDRED STGS TO AN UNPLETED ETCHG WHEN FRD DIED—HAVG ALREADY SAT FOR A PATG PLETED 2007—RELLS THAT THE ARTIST “NEVER ME TO TERMS WH THE FACT THAT HE WAS SLOWG DOWN. HE NSTANTLY SAID, ‘WHAT’S WRONG WH ME?’ AND I’D SAY, ‘WELL, LUCIAN, YOU’RE ACTUALLY MUCH MORE ACTIVE THAN ANY OTHER 68-YEAR-OLD I KNOW, LET ALONE 88.’ AND THE MOMENT HE LIFTED HIS HANDS, MOST OF HIS AILMENTS SEEMED TO MELT AWAY. THE NCENTRATN AND THE ADRENALE PHED HIM THROUGH.”FROM HIS MID-60S ONWARD, THE POCHLE YEARS FOR MOST MEN HIS AGE, FRD HAD BEEN ENJOYG A UFUL AND VIGORO LATE PERD. THIS WASN’T A FUNCTN OF CRIL REGNN, THOUGH HAPPENED TO BE THIS PERD THAT CRIL FAVOR FALLY SED UPON HIM, WH *TIME’*S ROBERT HUGH JUDGG HIM “THE BT REALIST PATER ALIVE,” A SOBRIQUET THAT STUCK. NOR WAS A MATTER OF MERCIAL SUCCS, THOUGH WAS 2008 THAT FRD’S BENEFS SUPERVISOR SLEEPG (1995) FETCHED THE HIGHT-EVER CTN PRICE FOR A PATG BY A LIVG ARTIST, SELLG AT CHRISTIE’S TO THE RSIAN PETROGARCH ROMAN ABRAMOVICH FOR $33.6 LN.FRD SIMPLY DID GREAT WORK AS AN OLD MAN, SOME OF HIS GREATT. “IN A SENSE, I THK HE KNEW THIS WAS HIS LAST BIG PH AT MAKG SOME REMARKABLE WORKS. I ULD JT SEE THAT HE WAS REALLY AMB, PHG AS HARD AS HE ULD,” SAYS THE NAKED MAN THAT FAL PATG, DAVID DAWSON, THE ARTIST’S LONGTIME ASSISTANT AND THE OWNER OF ELI, THE WHIPPET STAR OF SEVERAL LATE PATGS. (FRD HAD BTOWED THE DOG UPON DAWSON AS A CHRISTMAS PRENT 2000.) WHEN DAWSON STARTED WORKG FOR FRD, 20 YEARS AGO, THE ARTIST WAS THE MIDDLE OF A SERI OF NUS OF THE DRAG PERFORMER AND MIMON FIXTURE LEIGH BOWERY. BOWERY WAS A HUGE MAN, LENGTHWISE AND GIRTHWISE, WH A BALD, OBLONG HEAD—A LOT TO WORK WH TERMS OF TOPOGRAPHY, PHYSGNOMY, AND EPIRMAL HECTARAGE. YET FRD WENT BIGGER STILL, PATG BOWERY LARGER THAN LIFE-SIZE. FRD HAD HIS NVAS EXTEND NORTHWARD, EASTWARD, AND WTWARD AS SUED HIM; OFTEN, HE WOULD WORK THE UPPER REACH OF A PATG OM ATOP A SET OF PORTABLE STEPS.AN ISLAND UPON AN ISLANDTHERE WERE LOTS OF BIG PATGS THIS LATE PERD: NOT JT OF BOWERY AND HIS CLUBGOG IEND SUE TILLEY, THE HEAVYSET WELFARE-AGENT-BY-DAY OF BENEFS SUPERVISOR SLEEPG, BUT OF MORE ORDARILY PROPORTNED PEOPLE, SUCH AS FRD’S ARY-OFFICER IEND ANDREW PARKER BOWL. THE SEVEN-FOOT-TALL PORTRA OF PARKER BOWL, THE BRIGADIER, PATED OVER 18 MONTHS OF STGS BETWEEN 2003 AND 2004, WAS A PLAYFUL EXPERIMENT: FRD DISPENSG WH HIS UAL PROPENSY FOR EXPOSED FLH TO DO A REYNOLDS- OR GASBOROUGH-STYLE PATG OF A DISTGUISHED BRISH GENTLEMAN UNIFORM—ALBE WH A CHARACTERISTILLY LUMPY, EARTHY, FRDIAN TWIST. “LUCIAN ASKED TO PAT ME THE UNIFORM I WORE WHEN I WAS A MANR OF THE HOEHOLD CAVALRY,” SAYS PARKER BOWL, THE FORMER HBAND OF CALA AND A FORMER SILVER STICK WAG TO THE QUEEN. “BUT HAD BEEN 20 YEARS SCE I’D WORN , AND I’D GOT FATTER. SO I UNDID MY TUNIC AND MY STOMACH ME OUT.”THE PATG IS MAGNIFICENT—MELANCHOLY AND FUNNY AT THE SAME TIME: A ARY MAN RPLENNT HIS BERIBBONED AT WH A GOLD-BRAID LLAR AND HIS SMART DARK TROERS WH WI RED STRIP DOWN THE SI, BUT WH HIS FACE LOST THOUGHT (NOSTALGIA? REGRET? ENNUI?) AND HIS MIDSECTN ASSERTG SELF AS THE PICTURE’S FOL POT. THE PLACKET DOWN THE MIDDLE OF PARKER BOWL’S WHE SHIRT DIVIS HIS GUT TO TWO TTICULAR BULG. “WHEN I LOOK THE MIRROR, I THK, NOT BAD, BUT THEN I SEE THE PATG AND HEAR PEOPLE SAY THGS LIKE ‘IT SHOWS THE CLE OF THE BRISH EMPIRE,’ ” SAYS PARKER BOWL. “WELL, SO BE .”IN ADDN TO TACKLG THE BIG NVAS, FRD RUMED MAKG ETCHGS LATE LIFE, RETURNG TO A FORM HE’D LEFT BEHD HIS YOUTH. HE TOOK ON HIS SHARE OF SMALL PATGS, TOO, SUCH AS HIS NECK-UP PORTRAS OF KG, DAVID HOCKNEY (2002), AND A DISTCTLY BRORICK CRAWFORD-REMBLG QUEEN ELIZABETH II (2001).AT THE TIME OF HIS ATH, FRD WAS NOT ONLY PARTWAY THROUGH THE ETCHG OF KG, WHOSE RTRANT THE WOLSELEY HE DED SEVERAL NIGHTS A WEEK, BUT ALSO WELL TO HIS SEND PATED PORTRA OF SALLY CLARKE, WHOSE RTRANT-Fé, CLARKE’S, A NOTTG HILL STUTN JT DOWN THE ROAD OM HIS HOE, WAS WHERE HE TOOK HIS BREAKFAST AND LUNCH NEARLY EVERY DAY.THIS OVERDRIVE WORK ETHIC WAS AT ONCE AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PENDG MORTALY AND A HEDGE AGAST . DAWSON MARVELS AT WHAT HIS BOSS MANAGED TO ACHIEVE. “THE SHEER VOLUME, THE SLE,” HE SAYS. “HE NEVER SHED THE WORK. BUT, MY GOD, ONE GREAT PATG AFTER ANOTHER ME OUT. HE FELT HE ULD DO AND HE WAS ABLE TO. AND THIS WAS HIS LAST CHANCE.”DPE STANDG ONLY ABOUT FIVE FEET SIX, FRD WAS AN IMPOSG FIGURE, WH A FIERCE GAZE OFTEN LIKENED TO A HAWK’S, AND A SEVERE, ARISTOCRATIC MIEN; EVEN WHEN PATG, HE ALWAYS WORE A LONG SRF, RAKISHLY KNOTTED AT THE NECK. HE WAS ALSO AN TENSELY PRIVATE MAN WHO DIDN’T WANT HIS BGRAPHY TO RM PEOPLE’S RECEPTN OF HIS ART. THAT HE WAS THE MIDDLE SON OF THE YOUNGT SON OF SIGMUND FRD; THAT HE HAD BEEN BORN 1922 BERL AND MOVED WH HIS FAY TO ENGLAND 1933, THE YEAR HLER BEME CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY; THAT HIS ACQUATANC OVER THE URSE OF HIS LIFE RAN THE GAMUT OM PABLO PISSO TO ALBERTO GIAETTI TO THE DE OF BEFORT TO THE GANGSTER KRAY TWS TO KATE MOSS; THAT HE WAS A LADI’ MAN AND AN VETERATE HORSEPLAYER—ALL IRRELEVANT. AN ARTIST, HE SAID, SHOULD APPEAR HIS WORK “NO MORE THAN GOD NATURE. THE MAN IS NOTHG; THE WORK IS EVERYTHG.”AND, FAIR ENOUGH, ONE NEEDN’T KNOW ANYTHG ABOUT FRD TO APPRECIATE HIS PICTUR. CONSIR HIS MASTERY, PATGS RANGG OM PREGNANT GIRL (1960–61) TO NAKED GIRL WH EGG (1980–81) TO WOMAN HOLDG HER THUMB (1992) TO NAKED PORTRA (2004–5), OF HOW BOSOMS SAG AND POOL ATOP A RECUMBENT WOMAN’S CHT—AN UNIALIZED VIEW OF WOMANHOOD THAT’S NEVERTHELS ALMOST FEMIST S RISTANCE TO PRCRIBED EXPECTATNS OF LADY PORTRAURE. OR NSIR THE HYPER-MASCULE WHOMP LIVERED BY HEAD OF A BIG MAN (1975), S MIDDLE-AGED STER’S FLORID, MEATY NOGG RISG MENACGLY OUT OF A PALE-BLUE DRS SHIRT LIKE THE HEAD OF A CRANKY TORTOISE OUT OF S SHELL. THE IMAG MAY BE UNSPARG, BUT THEY ARE NOT, AS FRD’S TRACTORS AND EVEN SOME OF HIS ADMIRERS SAY, CEL AND/OR GROTQUE. RATHER, THEY ARE TENSIVE ENGAGEMENTS WH HIS MOLS AS LIVG CREATUR, WHAT THEIR HEADS AND BODI ARE LIKE AS BLOOD, OXYGEN, AND EMOTN CIRCULATE THROUGH THEM. THEY’RE FUN, AMAZG PICTUR TO GET LOST .THIS YEAR, TWO MAJOR RETROSPECTIV WILL GIVE THE BRISH AND AMERIN PUBLIC AN UNPRECENTED OPPORTUNY FOR FULL-ON FRD IMMERSN. ON FEBARY 9 THE NATNAL PORTRA GALLERY’S EXHIBN “LUCIAN FRD PORTRAS” OPENS LONDON AS PART OF THE CY’S CULTURAL OLYMPIAD N-UP TO THE SUMMER OLYMPIC GAM. FEATURG MORE THAN 130 PIEC, IS THE FIRST FRD RETROSPECTIVE VOTED EXCLIVELY TO HIS PICTNS OF PEOPLE, AND THE ARTIST WAS PERSONALLY VOLVED S PREPARATN—ALTHOUGH, SAYS THE MM’S CURATOR OF NTEMPORARY ART, SARAH HOWGATE, “HE DID SAY, ‘WELL, I WON’T BE AROUND 2012.’ ” THE “PORTRAS” SHOW WILL MOVE TO TEXAS THIS SUMMER, OPENG AT THE MORN ART MM OF FORT WORTH ON THE SEND OF JULY. AND ON FEBARY 17 THE BLA/SOUTHERN GALLERY, LONDON, WILL UNVEIL “LUCIAN FRD: DRAWGS,” THE MOST PREHENSIVE SURVEY EVER OF FRD’S WORKS ON PAPER, PRENTG MORE THAN A HUNDRED DRAWGS AND ETCHGS OM THE 1940S TO THE NEAR PRENT. THE “DRAWGS” RETROSPECTIVE WILL BE AT BLA/SOUTHERN THROUGH APRIL 5 AND THEN AT ACQUAVELLA GALLERI, NEW YORK, OM APRIL 30 THROUGH THE NTH OF JUNE.IT WAS WH THE NATNAL PORTRA GALLERY EXHIBN MD THAT FRD DITED HIMSELF TO GETTG AS FAR AS HE ULD ON PORTRA OF THE HOUND, AS THE SQUARE PATG OF DAWSON AND ELI HAS E TO BE KNOWN. HE HAD SPENT MUCH OF HIS REER BEG EPLY UNFASHNABLE, A FIGURATIVE ARTIST BOTTED WH CONSTABLE AND TIAN AS THE MIDCENTURY WORLD AROUND HIM WENT ABSTRACT EXPRSNIST, OP, AND POP. NOT THAT THIS EVER SEEMED TO AFFECT HIM. WHILE OTHERS HIS HORT—SUCH AS THE ARTIST-ILLTRATOR JOHN MTON, WHO WAS THE SUBJECT OF A GLOOMY, ARRTG FRD PORTRA 1952 AND TOOK HIS OWN LIFE 1957—SPAIRED OF THEIR IRRELEVANCE, FRD RRIED ON, AN ISLAND UPON AN ISLAND.HE DID, HOWEVER, UNRGO ONE MAJOR STYLISTIC SHIFT. HIS EARLY WORKS ARE OLLY LORED, DRAFTSMAN-PRECISE, AND STRICTLY TWO-DIMENSNAL—BEREFT OF THE FLHLY QUALI WH WHICH HE WOULD E TO BE INTIFIED. HIS LATE-40S PATGS OF HIS FIRST WIFE, KTY GARMAN, THE DGHTER OF THE SCULPTOR SIR JAB EPSTE, ARE WONRFUL THEIR OWN WAY BUT SEEMGLY THE WORK OF SOME OTHER ARTIST: HER FACE RENRED WH A ROLLG-PNED FLATNS, AND EVERY LAST IZZ OF HER SPL-END HAIR FAHFULLY DOCUMENTED. BUT FRD’S IENDSHIP WH THE ARTIST FRANCIS BAN, WHICH BEGAN THE 1940S, PROMPTED HIM TO CHANGE HIS APPROACH: “I THK THAT FRANCIS’S WAY OF PATG EELY HELPED ME FEEL MORE DARG,” HE SAID.THE NEW, EE APPROACH PROVED REVELATORY, NOT JT TO THE ARTIST BUT TO HIS DIENCE. THE TRANSNAL WOMAN A WHE SHIRT, PATED 1956 AND ’57, IS A GOOD EXAMPLE. ITS SUBJECT WAS HIS IEND THE DUCHS OF DEVONSHIRE, NéE DEBORAH MFORD, THE YOUNGT OF THE MFORD SISTERS. BUT HER ENGLISH-ROSE BETY IS HARDLY EVINT THE PORTRA, ROILED AS IS WH SWABS AND SWIRLS OF DRAB LOR—“ALL GREENISH KHAKI,” AS THE NOW 91-YEAR-OLD DOWAGER DUCHS WR HER NEWT MEMOIR, WA FOR ME! YET THE WONR OF IS, FRD’S PATG, S TURBULENT STROK AND M.R.I.-LIKE SCTY, FORETOLD THE FUTURE: “AS I HAVE GOT OLR,” S SUBJECT WR, “SO MY LIKENS TO THE PORTRA GROWS.”FRD’S BSHWORK WOULD GET ONLY EER OM THERE AS HE SWAPPED OUT HIS SOFT SABLE BSH FOR STIFF, BRISTLY HOG’S-HAIR ON THAT HE WOULD SNIP DOWN TO NUBS. FROM THE 60S FORWARD, THE PAT GOT THICKER, TOO—WHORLED, LAYERED, AND SMEARED AS HE LABORLY BUILT UP FORM THROUGH LOR. NOT UNCINTALLY, FRD’S PATGS BEME MORE SENSUAL, CREASGLY IF NOT EXCLIVELY FOCED ON NU BODI.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERPAMPERED STERSGIVEN FRD’S AVERSN TO PUBLICY AND HIS EMPHASIS ON “THE WORK,” ’S TEMPTG TO TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD AND AVOID ANY DISCSN OF “THE MAN.” YET THE TTH IS, WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE WAS LIKE WERE SENTIAL TO HOW HE WENT ABOUT THIS WORK.THE FLIP SI OF FRD’S FIERCENS WAS HIS MAGISM, HIS PROFOUND CHARISMA. SEBASTIAN SMEE, THE ATRALIAN-BORN ART CRIC FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE AND ONE OF THE SELECT GROUP OF WRERS THAT FRD LET TO HIS LIFE, SCRIB THE TIME HE SPENT ALONE WH THE ARTIST AS HAVG BEEN CHARGED WH “A KD OF EMOTNAL RISK. AT THE BACK OF YOUR MD, I SUPPOSE, WAS ALWAYS THE SENSE THAT IF YOU SAID SOMETHG STUPID OR OBNOX OR SOMEHOW EPLY IRRATG TO HIM YOU MIGHT LEAVE AND NEVER BE SUMMONED AGA. AND YET, UNTERG THIS, THERE WAS THE REALY OF THIS CREDIBLY SENSIVE AND EPLY NSIRATE PERSON WHO, IF HE LIKED YOU, WOULD FIVE ALL MANNER OF IDCI, EXTEND YOU NO END OF URTI, AND, EVEN BETTER, EXTEND YOU THE GREAT PLIMENT OF SPEAKG HIS MD ONT OF YOU.”AND THAT’S OM SOMEONE WHO NEVER MOLED FOR FRD. FOR THOSE WHO DID, HE ST STILL MORE OF A SPELL. HIS CHARISMA WAS CCIAL TO HIS METHOD. IT WAS WHAT MA HIS MOLS BEAR HAPPILY THE LONG ORAL OF STG FOR HIM, AND THEREFORE WHAT AFFORD FRD THE OPPORTUNY TO OBSERVE HIS SUBJECTS AT LENGTH—PICKG UP ON EVERY TWCH OF A FACIAL MCLE, EVERY ERATN OF HOW A SUBCUTANEO LAYER OF THIGH FAT BULGED THROUGH A STER’S SK.“I WAS FASCATED BY HIS PROCS,” SAYS DAVID HOCKNEY. “HE WAS SLOW. VERY SLOW. I WORKED OUT THAT I SAT FOR HIM FOR 120 HOURS. AND BEE HE TOOK A LONG, LONG TIME, WE TALKED A LOT: ABOUT OUR LIV, PEOPLE WE KNEW MON, BCHY ARTIST GOSSIP. HE WANTED YOU TO TALK SO HE ULD WATCH HOW YOUR FACE MOVED. HE HAD THE CREDIBLE EY THAT SORT OF PIERCED TO YOU, AND I ULD TELL WHEN HE WAS WORKG ON A SPECIFIC PART OF MY FACE, MY LEFT CHEEK OR SOMETHG. BEE THOSE EY WOULD BE PEERG : PEERG AND PIERCG.”THE MOST PREHENSIVE ACUNT OF WHAT ’S LIKE TO S FOR FRD IS MAN WH A BLUE SRF, AN EXCELLENT BOOK PUBLISHED 2010 BY THE THOR AND BLOOMBERG NEWS ART CRIC MART GAYFORD. IT CHRONICL, JOURNAL STYLE, THE PROCS BY WHICH FRD PATED A PORTRA OF GAYFORD OVER A SUCCSN OF NIGHT STGS BETWEEN NOVEMBER 2003 AND JULY 2004. SOMEWHAT EARLY THE PROCS, GAYFORD REALIZ WHAT HE IS FOR:WHEN HE IS REALLY NCENTRATG HE MUTTERS NSTANTLY, GIVG HIMSELF STCTNS: “Y, PERHAPS—A B,” “QUE!,” “NO-O, I DON’T THK SO,” “A B MORE YELLOW.” ONCE OR TWICE HE IS ABOUT TO APPLY A STROKE, THEN WHDRAWS, NSIRS AGA, THEN RE-SCTIZ, MEASURG MY FACE WH LTLE MAPPG MOVEMENTS OF THE BSH, SCRIBG A SMALL CURVE THE AIR OR MOVG UPWARDS. THE WHOLE PROCRE IS HUGELY LIBERATIVE. WHEN I GET UP AND STRETCH MY LEGS AFTER ABOUT FORTY MUT OF WORK, SPE WHAT SEEMED TO BE PLENTY OF VIGORO ACTIVY WH THE BSH, LTLE SEEMS TO HAVE CHANGED ON THE NVAS.FRD LIKED TO LL HIMSELF A BLOGIST AT HEART, AND HE APPLIED HIMSELF TO HIS WORK WH THE DISCIPLE AND RIGOR OF A SCIENTIST A LAB. EACH DAY, HE TORE A CLEAN PIECE OF WHE TTON SHEETG OM THE PILE OF RAGS HE KEPT THE STUD—MISSNED HOTEL SHEETS PURCHASED BULK OM A RECYCLG BS—AND TUCKED UNR HIS BELT TO SERVE AS AN APRON. HE WIPED HIS BSH CLEAN AFTER EACH DIVIDUAL BSHSTROKE, PASTAKGLY REMIXG THE LORS ON THE HEAVY PALETTE HE HELD HIS RIGHT HAND. (FRD PATED LEFT-HAND.)NOT THAT HIS WORKDAY WAS A PAGEANT OF SOLEMNY. HIS SUBJECTS TALK OF THE MERRIMENT AND PAMPERG THAT BEG A FRD STER ENTAILED: THE LUCIAN-LED SG-ALONGS OF SUCH STANDARDS AS COLE PORTER’S “MISS OTIS REGRETS” AND RODGERS & HART’S “WHERE OR WHEN”; THE STORI HE SHARED OF HIS YOUTH AND HIS BUBBLY TIM 1950S PARIS; THE SILLY VERSE HE RECED OM MEMORY; THE MEALS HE’D SPRG FOR AT THE WOLSELEY AND CLARKE’S; THE FOOD HE PREPARED HIMSELF, OFTEN WOODCK, PARTRIDGE, OR SNIPE THAT PARKER BOWL MAY HAVE SHOT AND SENT UP OM THE UNTRY.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERTHERE WAS AN ULTERR MOTIVE BEYOND SOCIABILY TO ALL THIS LAVISHG OF ATTENTN: “HE WOULD BE WATCHG YOU THE WHOLE TIME, SO HE’D GET A BIGGER UNRSTANDG OF WHAT HE WAS PATG,” SAYS DAWSON. THE BLOGIST HIM WANTED TO SUBJECT THE STER TO A VARIETY OF NDNS: HUNGRY, FFEATED, TIRED, PEEVED, SLIGHTLY DNK.“THE TIME HE ED TO LIKE ME MOST WAS IF I HAD A HANER,” SAYS COZETTE MCCREERY, THE SUBJECT OF THE PATG IRISH WOMAN ON A BED (2003–4), WHO MET THE ARTIST WHILE WORKG AS AN ASSISTANT TO HIS DGHTER BELLA. “I ASKED, ‘IS THAT BEE I’LL JT S HERE AND SHUT UP?’ AND HE WAS LIKE, ‘NO, NO, YOU HAVE A SORT OF GLOW!’ ”A FAVORE NVERSATNAL TOPIC OF FRD’S DURG STGS, NOT AT ALL TABOO, WAS HIS PATERNAL GRANDFATHER. FRD HAD WARM PERSONAL MEMORI OF THE OLD MAN, BOTH OM HIS CHILDHOOD ON THE CONTENT AND OM SIGMUND’S BRIEF TIME LONDON, TO WHICH HE FLED 1938, A YEAR BEFORE HIS ATH. BUT LUCIAN WAS STHGLY DISMISSIVE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS. TO HIS STERS, HE WAS FOND OF RECG THIS LIMERICK, WH S SCY DOUBLE ENTENDRE AT THE END:THOSE GIRLS WHO EQUENT PICTURE PALACHAVE NO E FOR THIS PSYCHOANALYSISAND ALTHOUGH DR. FRDIS EXTREMELY ANNOYEDTHEY CLG TO THEIR LONG-STANDG FALLACI.MCCREERY REMEMBERS THE GLEE WH WHICH FRD NSIRED THE IA THAT CRICS MIGHT LOOK FOR FRDIAN-AS--SIGMUND RONANCE HIS WORK. IN THE VERY STRANGE PICTURE WHICH SHE APPEARS, SHE SLOUCH, NU AND SEMI-UPRIGHT, ON A RICKETY-LOOKG WROUGHT-IRON BED, HER LV RTG UPON A GASHED PILLOW THAT IS LEAKG FEATHERS. SOME WHE CHERRI RT ON THE BED BI HER, A FEW OF THEM SEEMGLY FLOATG UP NEXT TO HER THIGH.“HE SAID, ‘I’M GOG TO STAB THE PILLOW—I WANT FEATHERS EVERYWHERE!’ AND HE JT BURST OUT LGHG,” MCCREERY SAYS. “I WAS LIKE, ‘WHAT’S SO FUNNY?’ AND HE SAID, ‘WHAT WOULD MY ANCTOR HAVE MA OF THIS? A STABBED PILLOW AND CHERRI!’ HE ACTUALLY HOPED THAT WOULD E A VERY OBV RIPPLE SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LE.”EXTEND FAIYET THERE IS NO AVOIDG THE OBV PARALLELS BETWEEN THE STG PROCS AND PSYCHOTHERAPY: THE REGIMENTED ONE-ON-ONE SSNS; THE TERPLAY BETWEEN THE OBSERVER AND THE STER; THE ACCUMULATED HOURS GHT WH SELF-EXAMATN. “LERALLY, HE WOULD BEG A NVERSATN WH ‘TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD,’ ” MCCREERY SAYS.“I LEARNED AN AWFUL LOT ABOUT MYSELF,” SAYS JEREMY KG. “NOT JT BY LOOKG AT THE PORTRA, BUT TALKG TO HIM, WATCHG HIM, AND JT STG THERE. BEE, OF URSE, ’S AN CREDIBLY MEDATIVE EXPERIENCE. YOU DO FEEL QUE EXPOSED.”THE CCIAL DIFFERENCE OM THERAPY WAS THAT THE ARTIST WAS THE MORE ACTIVE PARTICIPANT THE TRANSACTN, AND, MOREOVER, HE HAD NO OBLIGATN TO OBSERVE PROFSNALLY MANDATED BOUNDARI. “I’D RELISH THE CHANCE TO HAVE SUCH AN TENSE AND TIMATE EXPERIENCE,” SAYS KG, “AND I ULD CERTALY UNRSTAND WHY, WH SOME OF HIS MOLS, PARTICULARLY WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER, WOULD VELOP TO MORE. BEE IS VERY, VERY SENSUAL.”FOR HIS NUS, WHICH FRD PREFERRED TO LL NAKED PORTRAS—“THE WORD ‘NU’ IMPLIED TO HIM AN OBJECT, NOT A PERSON,” SAYS DAWSON—THE ARTIST KEPT THE HEAT CRANKED UP. THIS WAS OSTENSIBLY THE TERT OF KEEPG HIS STERS FORTABLE, AND WAS CERTALY EFUL KEEPG DOG POSERS LIKE ELI BLISSFULLY STILL FOR HOURS ON END. BUT THE RADIATOR WARMTH ALSO LENT AN OVERALL AIR OF LANGUOR AND NCE TO THE POS OF FRD’S NAKED HUMAN STERS, EVEN AS THE STUDS WHICH HE PATED— PADDGTON, HOLLAND PARK, AND, FALLY, NOTTG HILL—APPEARED THE PATGS EXACTLY AS THEY WERE: RATTY, SPARE, AND UNSUMPTUO.FRD’S WOMEN STERS WERE OFTEN LOVERS, OR WOMEN WHO BEME HIS LOVERS, AND, SOME S, LOVERS WHO BEME THE MOTHERS OF HIS CHILDREN. HE HAD TWO CHILDREN WH HIS FIRST WIFE, KTY GARMAN, HIS DGHTERS ANNIE AND ANNABEL. HE HAD NONE WH HIS SEND WIFE, THE SOCIETY BETY CAROLE BLACKWOOD (LATER THE WIFE OF POET ROBERT LOWELL), AND NEVER MARRIED AGA AFTER THEY DIVORCED, 1958. BUT HE HAD ALREADY RRIED ON PROCREATG, FATHERG A SON, ALEXANR, 1957 WH A STUNT AT THE SLA SCHOOL OF FE ART NAMED SUZY BOYT, THE SUBJECT OF HIS EARLY NEW-STYLE PATG WOMAN SG (1958–59). THREE MORE CHILDREN WH BOYT FOLLOWED THE NEXT 12 YEARS: ROSE, ISOBEL, AND SIE. (FRD NSIRED ANOTHER CHILD OF BOYT’S, KAI, TO BE HIS STEPSON.) MORE OR LS NCURRENTLY, FRD HAD FOUR CHILDREN WH KATHERE MCADAM, WHOM HE HAD MET WHEN SHE WAS A STUNT AT ST. MART’S ART LLEGE: JANE, PL, LUCY, AND DAVID.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERWH ANOTHER ART STUNT, BERNARDE COVERLEY, FRD HAD BELLA AND ESTHER THE EARLY 60S; HIS PATG PREGNANT GIRL (1960–61) IS EFFECTIVELY THE “BEFORE,” PTURG THE TOPLS, 18-YEAR-OLD COVERLEY TENR REPOSE, TO THE “AFTER” OF BABY ON A GREEN SOFA (1961), WHICH BABY BELLA NAPS WH ARMS OUTSTRETCHED AND FISTS BALLED. WH LADY JACQUETTA ELT, COUNTS OF ST. GERMANS—WHO LI NU A BED BEHD THE ARTIST’S SEATED MOTHER, LUCIE, LARGE INTERR W9 (1973)—FRD HAD A SON, FREDDIE, BORN 1971. AND WH THE ARTIST CELIA PL—LIKE COVERLEY, THE SUBJECT OF A GENTLE PORTRA PATED WHILE SHE WAS EXPECTG, THIS SE GIRL STRIPED NIGHTSHIRT (1985)—FRD HAD A SON, FRANK, WHO AT 27 IS THE YOUNGT OF HIS CHILDREN, WH ANNIE, AT 63, THE ELST.AS RAFFISHLY BOHEMIAN AS THE ARRANGEMENTS MAY SOUND, WAS NO EASY ROAD FOR THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN VOLVED. FRD WAS SELFISH ABOUT HIS TIME—HE UNAPOLOGETILLY ED THE WORD—AND HAD NO TERT RAISG HIS CHILDREN AS A NVENTNAL FATHER WOULD; PATG ME FIRST. THERE IS A SMALL SHELF OF LERATURE BY THE FRD OFFSPRG THAT, DIRECTLY OR DIRECTLY, ACKNOWLEDG THE FALLOUT OM HAVG HIM AS A FATHER. ESTHER FRD, ROSE BOYT, AND SIE BOYT HAVE WRTEN NOVELS WH TOBGRAPHIL ELEMENTS TO THEM, WHILE ANNIE FRD HAS PUBLISHED TWO LLECTNS OF POEMS THAT, ON OCSN, NOD SLYLY TOWARD HER FATHER. THE BT KNOWN OF THE WORKS IS ESTHER’S HIO KKY, WHICH IS BASED ON HER AND BELLA’S EXPERIENC LIVG MOROC WH THEIR QUTG, PROTO-HIPPIE MOM, COVERLEY, AS SHE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT HER LIFE THE 60S AS A PARTNERLS AND STILL VERY YOUNG WOMAN. (THE NOVEL, WHICH THE GIRLS’ FATHER IS A DISTANT POET WHO OCSNALLY SENDS MONEY, WAS MA TO A 1998 FILM STARRG KATE WSLET THE MOTHER ROLE.)EVEN SO, ALL OF FRD’S CHILDREN SAVE THE MCADAMS, WHOSE MOTHER TOOK AN UNROMANTIC VIEW OF HIS FILY AND CUT OFF MUNITN WH THE ARTIST, WOUND UP STG FOR HIM. IN A 2004 DOCUMENTARY ABOUT FRD’S STERS DIRECTED BY JAKE AUERBACH, THE SON OF FRD’S BT ARTIST IEND, THE PATER FRANK AUERBACH, SOME OF THE YOUNGER FRDS REFLECTED ON THE EXPERIENCE. “YOU HAVE A CHOICE, AND NOT ALL OF HIS CHILDREN HAVE MA , OM VERY YOUNG, THAT YOU N GET THE GOOD B IF YOU WANT TO ACCEPT WHAT HE’S LIKE. OR YOU N NOT GET BY BEG ANGRY FOR HIM NOT BEG LIKE SOMEONE ELSE’S FATHER,” SAID ESTHER. “WHEN I WAS 16, I MOVED TO LONDON, AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY I STARTED TO S FOR HIM. AND WAS A REALLY LOVELY WAY TO GET TO KNOW HIM BEE UNTIL THEN I HADN’T EVER LIVED THE SAME CY AS HIM.”ROSE BOYT, WHOSE NOVELS SEXUAL INTERURSE AND ROSE BETRAY A DARKER SENSIBILY THAN ESTHER’S, RELLED THE FILM THE CIRCUMSTANC UNR WHICH FRD’S EXTRAORDARY PORTRA OF HER, ALSO LLED ROSE (1978–79), ME ABOUT. IT’S AN ATYPIL FRD NU, OF A PISSED-OFF-LOOKG LLEGE-AGED GIRL LYG ON A UCH WH ONE LEG PLANTED ON THE FLOOR AND THE OTHER FOLD UP TIGHT WH TENSN, HER RIGHT HEEL JAMMED AGAST HER RIGHT BUTTOCK. “I DIDN’T WANT TO FEEL FLOPPY AND SOGGY. I WANTED TO FEEL ‘I’M JT ABOUT TO SPRG TO ACTN,’ ” ROSE SAID. “I ULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY ANGRY. AND I WASN’T. AND I FELT THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL FOR ME TO SUDNLY GET UP AND SAY, ‘LOOK, FUCK OFF! I’M NOT DOG THIS ANYMORE!’ OR ‘WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEED YOU, YOU BASTARD?’ AND I THK HE MAYBE WAS A LTLE B WORRIED SE I WAS SUDNLY GOG TO ACTUALLY SPRG UP AND PROTT.”YET HIS CHILDREN GENERALLY SEEMED TO ACCEPT THAT STG FOR FRD WAS THE WAY TO HAVE A FULFILLG RELATNSHIP WH THEIR FATHER. WH FURTHER HDSIGHT, ROSE’S FEELGS ABOUT THE STG EXPERIENCE HAVE GROWN WARMER. “STG FOR ROSE WAS AN TN,” SHE WR VIA E-MAIL. “I MEAN LERALLY—MY FATHER TGHT ME ABOUT SHAKPEARE AND T.S. ELT PARTICULAR, AND I BEME SO TERTED BOOKS I CID TO GO TO UNIVERSY.” THE SSNS FOR THE PORTRA WENT AS LATE AS FOUR THE MORNG, SHE SAYS, AND “OFTEN, ONCE HE HAD FISHED, MY FATHER JT CHUCKED A BLANKET OVER ME AND I SLEPT ON THE SOFA THE STUD UNTIL MORNG WHEN I WENT OFF TO LLEGE.”THE ELST OF FRD’S SONS, ALEXANR BOYT, KNOWN THE FAY AS ALI, SAT AT THREE VERY DIFFERENT JUNCTUR HIS LIFE: AS ONE OF THE TWO ELF MOPPETS (THE OTHER BEG ROSE) HUDDLED AT THE FEET OF THEIR OUTSIZE FATHER ONE OF HIS MOST INIC PATGS, REFLECTN WH TWO CHILDREN (SELF-PORTRA) (1965); AS A SPACED-OUT 70S LONGHAIR ALI (1974); AND AS A PENSIVE, NECKTIED GROWN MAN THE PATER’S SON, ALI (1998).“THE MEMORI OF STORI TOLD AND IAS EXPRSED WHEN STG ARE THE BS THAT WARM ME MOST,” WR ALI, NOW A SERVIC OFFICER FOR DG AND ALHOL ABERS NORTH LONDON, AN E-MAIL. “THE TALKG ABOUT WOMEN AND LOVE AND THE POPE. THE BRILLIANT AND LUDICRO ‘THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH HYPOCRISY I ALLOW MYSELF’ AND ‘ALL I KNOW ABOUT LOVE IS THAT YOU’D RATHER HAVE A MISERABLE TIME WH SOMEONE YOU LOVE THAN A NICE TIME WH SOMEONE YOU DON’T RE ABOUT.’ I ONCE APOLOGIZED TO DAD FOR SOMETHG I DID, AND HE REPLIED, ‘THAT’S NICE OF YOU TO SAY, BUT DON’T WORK LIKE THAT. THERE IS NO SUCH THG AS EE WILL. PEOPLE JT HAVE TO DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.’ ”(THE FRD CHILDREN NTACTED FOR THIS ARTICLE CLED TO BE TERVIEWED PERSON, OUT OF GRIEF AS MUCH AS RPECT FOR THEIR FATHER’S PRIVACY. FOUR OF THEM ARE DOUBLE MOURNG. GARMAN, KNOWN LATER LIFE AS KTY GODLEY, DIED JANUARY 2011 AT THE AGE OF 84. COVERLEY PASSED AWAY JT FOUR DAYS AFTER FRD, AND JT TWO WEEKS AFTER RECEIVG A SURPRISE DIAGNOSIS OF ADVANCED NCER. SHE WAS ONLY 68.)MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERLEIGH BOWERY, UNHIBED SOUL THAT HE WAS, DIDN’T SHY AWAY OM BEG NOSY ABOUT THIS FAY STUFF WHEN HE TERVIEWED FRD FOR AN UNRGROUND ARTS MAGAZE LLED LOVELY JOBLY 1991. “WHEN DID YOU GET THE IA OF WORKG OM YOUR NAKED GROWN-UP DGHTERS?” HE ASKED.“WHEN I STARTED PATG NAKED PEOPLE,” FRD REPLIED.“I N’T THK OF ANOTHER ARTIST WHO HAS DONE THAT. IT MT MAKE THGS, WELL, SLIGHTLY EXTREME,” SAID BOWERY.“MY NAKED DGHTERS HAVE NOTHG TO BE ASHAMED OF,” FRD SAID.SEVEN DAYS A WEEKFRD WAS JT ABOUT TO ENTER HIS 70S WHEN BOWERY TERVIEWED HIM, BUT HE WAS ALREADY AWARE OF THE CLOCK’S TICKG. HE TALKED BLUNTLY OF A NEW PENCHANT FOR WORKG STILL-LONGER HOURS “AS I’VE GOTTEN WEAKER,” AND EXPRSED A FEAR THAT IF HE SLEPT TOO MUCH OR WORKED TOO LTLE “I MIGHT STIFFEN UP AND NOT BE ABLE TO GET UP AGA.”IT WAS AROUND THIS TIME THAT DAWSON ME TO HIS LIFE, A SOFT-SPOKEN, IMPERTURBABLE STGGLG ARTIST WHO GREW UP RAL STLAND AND WAL AND WAS EARNG MONEY WORKG FOR FRD’S THEN ALER, JAM KIRKMAN. DAWSON STARTED TAKG ON MENIAL TASKS FOR FRD AS A “N-AROUND BOY,” HE SAYS. FRD SHORTLY THEREAFTER HAD A FALLG-OUT WH KIRKMAN BUT KEPT DAWSON THE BREAKUP. “I SUPPOSE WE JT LIKED EACH OTHER’S PANY,” DAWSON SAYS. “I PROBABLY ME ALONG AT THE RIGHT TIME AND MA SURE THAT ALL HE HAD TO WORRY ABOUT WAS PATG.”IN 1992, FRD SOUGHT OUT THE NEW YORK ART ALER WILLIAM ACQUAVELLA FOR A LUNCH, KEEN TO HAVE ACQUAVELLA REPRENT HIM. ACQUAVELLA, WHOSE GALLERY IS SUATED A LARGE TOWN HOE ON THE UPPER EAST SI AND SPECIALIZ SENDARY-MARKET SAL OF BIG-NAME AD ARTISTS, WAS SURPRISED AT THE OVERTURE. “I WAS MORE TO PISSO, MATISSE, MIRó,” HE SAYS. “AND I’D HEARD THAT LUCIAN WAS DIFFICULT. BUT WE MET, AND I WENT TO HIS STUD AND SAW ALL THE HUGE LEIGH BOWERY PATGS HE’D BEEN WORKG ON. I WAS KNOCKED OUT AND I BOUGHT THEM ALL. WE ULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT, BUT OM THEN ON I REPRENTED LUCIAN AND WE BEME GOOD IENDS. IT WAS ALL HANDSHAKE. WE NEVER HAD A PIECE OF PAPER BETWEEN .”LIKE DAWSON, ACQUAVELLA TOOK RE OF THGS SO THAT FRD, THE HOMTRETCH OF HIS LIFE, ULD FOC ON PATG. THE ARTIST ALERTED HIS NEW ALER TO THE SMALL MATTER OF SOME GAMBLG BTS HE HAD ACCED. ACQUAVELLA MET WH FRD’S BOOKIE, ALFIE MCLEAN, WHO OWNED A CHA OF BETTG SHOPS NORTHERN IRELAND. MCLEAN ALSO HAPPENED TO BE THE IMPOSG “BIG MAN” OF HEAD OF A BIG MAN AND S RELATED PATGS, THE BIG MAN (1976–77) AND THE BIG MAN II (1981–82). MCLEAN, DULGENT THOUGH HE WAS OF FRD—WHO, KEEPG WH THE FAIAL SPIR WH WHICH HE APPROACHED HIS STERS, HAD ALSO PATED PICTUR OF MCLEAN’S GROWN SONS—TOLD ACQUAVELLA THAT THE PATER OWED HIM $4.6 LN. ACQUAVELLA NOT ONLY SETTLED THE BT BUT STARTED SELLG FRD’S NEW PATGS AT SIX- AND SEVEN-FIGURE PRIC, MAKG THE ARTIST, FOR THE FIRST TIME HIS LIFE, A RICH MAN.“ONCE HE STARTED MAKG MONEY, HE DIDN’T GAMBLE ANYMORE,” SAYS ACQUAVELLA. “HE SAID, ‘IT’S NOT FUN WHEN YOU HAVE THE MONEY. IT’S ONLY FUN WHEN YOU HAVE NO MONEY.’ ”THE OLR FRD GOT, THE MORE CIRCUMSCRIBED HIS WORLD BEME, SELDOM TAKG HIM BEYOND HIS CIRCU OF THE STUD, CLARKE’S, THE WOLSELEY, AND ANOTHER FAVORE DNERTIME HNT, THE ITALIAN RTRANT LONDA LOTELLI. HE NEED TO KEEP PATG. FRD HAD ALWAYS BEEN AN ACUTELY IMPATIENT MAN OUTSI OF HIS WORKPLACE, KNOWN FOR WALKG HEEDLSLY TO FAST-MOVG TRAFFIC AND REERG DOWN NARROW LONDON ROADS AT TERRIFYG SPEEDS HIS OLD BENTLEY. (ALI BOYT: “MY IEND SAYS I DRIVE LIKE A 15-YEAR-OLD A STOLEN R. DAD WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT I DROVE WELL.”) ADVANCED AGE DID NOT MELLOW FRD THIS REGARD. ALEXI WILLIAMS-WYNN, ONE OF HIS LATER MOLS, RELLS THAT “THE SPEED WH WHICH I ENTERED HIS LIFE AND BEGAN STG WAS, I THK, VERY CHARACTERISTIC OF HIM—HIGHLY IMPULSIVE, URGENT, IMPATIENT TOWARDS ANYTHG BEYOND HIS LIFE THE STUD.”WILLIAMS-WYNN, 50 YEARS FRD’S JUNR, WAS STUDYG SCULPTURE AT THE ROYAL AMY. SHE WROTE HIM A FAN LETTER AND, TO HER SURPRISE, RECEIVED AN VATN OM THE ARTIST TO MEET FOR A CUP OF TEA. HE ASKED HER ON THE SPOT TO BEG STG FOR HIM, FOR WHAT BEME NAKED PORTRA (2004–5). SHORTLY TO THIS EXPERIENCE, THEY BEME LOVERS. “I WASN’T TAKG SERLY AT FIRST—I WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE AGE DIFFERENCE,” SHE SAYS, “BUT I FELL LOVE WH HIM. IT WAS SORT OF OUT OF MY HANDS.”FRD HAD BEEN WORKG AT THE TIME ON A LARGE SELF-PORTRA HIS HOLLAND PARK SPACE, A SIXTH-FLOOR WALK-UP THAT HE KEPT AS A SATELLE TO HIS NOTTG HILL BASE OF OPERATNS—S WALLS SCENILLY CSTED WH YEARS OF PALETTE-KNIFE WIPE-OFFS, PRODUCG AN EFFECT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SEAGULL GUANO AND ACTN PATG. DECIDG THAT THE PICTURE WAS TOO MUCH OF AN ARTIST--HIS-ATELIER CLICHé, HE RENCEPTUALIZED SO THAT WILLIAMS-WYNN TOOK A PROMENT ROLE. THE PATG, THE LAST HE EVER DID HOLLAND PARK, WAS TLED THE PATER SURPRISED BY A NAKED ADMIRER. IT SHOWS FRD PSG BEFORE A NVAS WH BSH HAND, STOOPED AND SOMEWHAT BEFUDDLED, AS THE ELY WILLIAMS-WYNN WRAPS HER UNCLOTHED BODY AROUND HIS LEGS, A RAPTURO EXPRSN ON HER FACE.NAKED ADMIRER WAS TECHNILLY TRICKY TO EXECUTE, PECIALLY SCE THE PATG FRD IS PUTATIVELY AT WORK ON WH THE PICTURE IS OF THE SAME IMAGE AS THE REAL PATG: WILLIAMS-WYNN WRAPPG HERSELF AROUND HIM THE STUD—ONE OF THOSE ETERNAL-MIRRORG MD-WARPS. TO PAT , FRD HAD TO LOOK AT HIS AND HIS MOL’S REFLECTNS A MIRROR ACROSS THE ROOM, DISENTANGLE HIMSELF OM WILLIAMS-WYNN, AND PIVOT TO THE NVAS, PATG OM MEMORY WHAT HE HAD JT GLIMPSED. THEN BACK TO POSNS FOR THE NEXT BSHSTROKE.“I QUICKLY FOUND MYSELF STG SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, NIGHT AND DAY. THIS LASTED A YEAR,” SAYS WILLIAMS-WYNN. “WE WERE LOVERS, SO THE SUATN SEEMED QUE NORMAL A HEIGHTENED, EXHILARATG KD OF WAY.” YET WHEN THE STGS FOR THE TWO PATGS END, SO, EFFECTIVELY, DID THE AFFAIR—A DISORIENTG EXPERIENCE THAT, WILLIAMS-WYNN ADMS, TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET OVER. STILL, SHE SAYS, “BEG WH LUCIAN MA ME REALIZE THAT THIS IS NO JOKE: BEG AN ARTIST, BEG ALIVE. IT ALSO MA ME UNRSTAND THAT SELFISHNS IS WHAT TAK TO MAKE GREAT ART.”KG SCRIB A SIAR LSON LEARNED. “I ALWAYS THOUGHT ‘SELFISH’ WAS A PEJORATIVE TERM,” HE SAYS, “BUT WHAT HE BASILLY SAID IS ‘I AM WHAT I AM. THIS IS WHAT I LIKE TO DO. IF YOU WANT TO F WH THAT, YOU’RE VERY WELE TO E TO MY LIFE. BUT DON’T TRY AND MAKE ME SOMETHG I’M NOT.’ THAT FORM OF SELFISHNS I RPECTED A GREAT AL, BEE THERE’S A STRONG HONTY ABOUT .”MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERRUNNG OUT OF TIMELAST APRIL, FRD PLETED HIS FAL NAKED PORTRA OF A WOMAN, AN ARTIST HER 20S NAMED PERIENNE CHRISTIAN. FRD FOUND HER THROUGH HER TUTOR AT THE PRCE’S DRAWG SCHOOL, OM WHICH SHE HAD RECENTLY GRADUATED. IT WAS A PLATONIC RELATNSHIP, BUT, EVABLY, ONE THAT EVOLVED TO SOMETHG AS TIMATE AS THE ARTIST-STER RELATNSHIPS THAT HAD E BEFORE . “HE WAS EXTREMELY AWARE OF NNG OUT OF TIME AND WANTG TO DO SO MUCH MORE,” SAYS CHRISTIAN. “WE DID TALK ABOUT ATH TOWARDS THE END. HE WAS TRATED BY HIS MORTALY.”AND THERE WAS STILL PORTRA OF THE HOUND TO WORK ON. IT WAS ACTUALLY DAWSON’S FOURTH DOUBLE PORTRA WH A DOG. THE FIRST WAS SUNNY MORNG—EIGHT LEGS (1997), WHICH HE NTLED ON A BED WH FRD’S OWN WHIPPET, PLUTO. FRD, MISCHIEVOLY, ROLVED THE ISSUE OF ACHIEVG PICTORIAL BALANCE BY PATG A SEND SET OF DAWSON’S LEGS UNRNEATH THE BED, A CHOICE THAT REQUIRED DAWSON, EVER THE MOL OF SELFLSNS, TO LIE FOR HOURS, NU, UNR THE FURNURE.THEN ME THE EPIC DAVID AND ELI (2003–4), LABELED UPON S UNVEILG A “MASTERPIECE” BY ROBERT HUGH, WHO ULDN’T HELP NOTG, GIVEN THE TRICKS FRD PLAYS WH PERSPECTIVE, THAT DAWSON’S SCROTUM APPEARS “LARGER THAN THE PILLOW BEHD HIS HEAD,” AND ELI AND DAVID (2005–6), WHICH REVEALS FRD, HE OF THE SUPPOSEDLY CLIL, UNFLCHG GAZE, AT HIS SWEETT. DAWSON SS SERENE AND SHIRTLS A WG CHAIR, ELI HIS LAP. DAWSON’S ARMS AND SHOULRS ARE STROKED WH LD OFF-WH, BUT HIS FACE AND STERNUM ARE RED, FLH WH THE WARMTH THAT ELI, NODDG OFF, PROVIS LIKE A HOT-WATER BOTTLE.FRD NEVER PATED TO ELIC RPONS OF “AWWW!,” BUT HE WAS NOT AVERSE TO SENTIMENT. THERE’S A SIAR SWEETNS EVINT LAST PORTRA OF LEIGH, A PATG OF BOWERY’S SLUMBERO HEAD, NO BIGGER THAN A SHEET OF A4 PAPER, THAT FRD PLETED SHORTLY AFTER BOWERY DIED OF H.I.V.-RELATED ILLNS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE 1994. IF STG WAS A WAY FOR HIS CHILDREN TO VELOP A CLOSENS TO FRD, SO WAS PATG A WAY FOR FRD, IF HE SO CHOSE, TO VELOP A CLOSENS TO HIS STERS. NOTWHSTANDG HIS SISTENCE THAT “THE MAN IS NOTHG” THE FISHED ART, THE CREATN OF THIS ART WAS EVERYTHG TO THE MAN: FRD’S WAY OF RELATG TO THE WORLD, THE PEOPLE HE ENUNTERED , AND, ED, THE PEOPLE HE PUT . “MY WORK,” HE SAID, “IS PURELY TOBGRAPHIL. IT IS ABOUT MYSELF AND MY SURROUNDGS. IT IS AN ATTEMPT AT A RERD. I WORK OM PEOPLE THAT TERT ME, AND THAT I RE ABOUT AND THK ABOUT, ROOMS THAT I LIVE AND KNOW.”DAVID KAMP
LUCIAN FRD’S GAY RELATNSHIPS EXPLORED NEW EXHIBN
Lucian Frd had a famoly plex love life fatherg children wh many women but before all that there was a passnate, secret and endurg gay relatnship volvg two other young artists, a new exhibn wrer and curator Julian Mach has pieced together a story the artist tried to supprs and one, he argu, which helps better unrstand the art of story volv Frd, Adrian Ryan and John Mton who as young, handsome artists their 20s had, Mach says, a closens and sexual timacy which is ltle known and Ryan self-portra. Others, cludg the artist David Tdle, who beme a iend of Frd’s the 1940s, have nfirmed the has been said to have had a number of gay affairs, cludg wh the poet Stephen Spenr. “It was difficult bee of the tim [when homosexual acts were illegal] and of urse they were so young.
Lucian Frds gay relatnships disvered latt nventn. Lucian Frd had a famoly plex relatnship fatherg kids wh several girls before all those thgs there is a passnate, key and endurg homosexual mment volvg two more youthful artisans, a nventn reveals.
LUCIAN FRDS GAY RELATNSHIPS DISVERED LATT NVENTN
Frd is nsired experienced some gay issu, cludg wh the poet Stephen Spenr.
WAS FRD “GAY-FRIENDLY?"
It was actually hard bee of the hours [when homosexual acts were illegal] as well as they certaly were therefore young. 2020 also marks the 100th anniversary of his publitn, Psychogenis of a Case of Homosexualy a Woman, which he lays out a theory about what “” homosexualy. Jt for the rerd, still today, no one knows what “” eher heterosexualy or homosexualy.
For much of the 20th century, the field of psychoanalysis was hostile to gay people, mostly characterizg them as mentally ill. Fortunately, the last quarter-century, anizatns like the Amerin Psychoanalytic Associatn (APsaA), which I joed 2015, have bee more “gay-iendly. Yet, attempts to fd Frd’s support for ntemporary, tolerant analytic attus, some portray him as a historic ally of gay people.
FRD, INTERPTEDLUCIAN FRD, WHO DIED LAST YEAR, STILL CREATG MASTERPIEC AT 88, WAS TENSELY PRIVATE, REJECTG THE IA THAT AN ARTIST’S LIFE MATTERED TO HIS ART. BUT SIGMUND’S GRANDSON, ARGUABLY THE GREATT PORTRA PATER OF HIS ERA, FED HIS CLOST BONDS HIS STUD. WH TWO MAJOR FRD RETROSPECTIV VIEW, DAVID KAMP LEARNS THAT THOSE WHO SAT FOR HIM—DUCHS, DRAG QUEENS, MOST OF HIS WOMEN, AND MANY OF HIS CHILDREN—WILL NEVER FET WHAT THEY DISVERED.BY DAVID KAMPJANUARY 16, 2012SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVELUCIAN FRD’S FAL PORTRA IS OF A NAKED MAN AND A DOG. IT IS UNFISHED BUT OTHERWISE BETRAYS NO SIGN OF THE AGEDNS OF S CREATOR, WHO DIED LAST JULY 20, HALFWAY THROUGH HIS 89TH YEAR. THE SLE IS BIG, A SQUARE NVAS OF ABOUT FIVE FEET BY FIVE FEET, AND THE BSHWORK IS AS SURE AND LAYERED AS ANY PATG HE HAD EVER DONE—SMOOTH AND EE AROUND THE MAN’S SHOULRS, CSTY AND IMPASTOED ALONG THE ARMS. THE PALETTE IS CSIAN-FLHY OM AFAR BUT REMARKABLY VARIED AND TRITE UP CLOSE: PURPL AND GREENS THE MAN’S LEGS, VIVID STREAKS OF YELLOW HIS RIGHT HAND, ST AND BLUE AT THE NGHTY BS.FOR THE LAST 57 YEARS OF HIS LIFE, FRD PATED STANDG UP RATHER THAN STG DOWN; THE PHYSIL RTRICTNS OF SEATED PATG, HE SAID, HAD BEGUN GETTG HIM “MORE AND MORE AGATED” THE 1950S, SO HE KICKED THE CHAIR AWAY. PATG ON HIS FEET REQUIRED EXTRAORDARY STAMA, GIVEN FRD’S SELF-IMPOSED WORK SCHLE: A MORNG SSN WH ONE MOL, AN AFTERNOON BREAK, AND AN EVENG SSN WH ANOTHER MOL, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, ALL YEAR ROUND. WHAT’S MORE, THE SSNS HAD A TENNCY TO STRETCH ON: A LIBERATE WORKER, FRD TOOK 6, 12, 18 MONTHS OR LONGER TO PLETE A PATG, MARATHONG TO THE NIGHT IF THE MOOD STCK. BUT HE HAD STAMA SPAS. PATG WAS HIS WORKOUT; HE TOOK NO OTHER EXERCISE, AND YET PHOTOGRAPHS OF HIM WORKG SHIRTLS 2005, WHEN HE WAS 82, SHOW HIM TO BE LEAN AND ALL SEW, A JOCKEY-SIZE IGGY POP.BUT BY JUNE 2011, FRD REGNIZED THAT HIS BODY WAS FALLY FAILG HIM, AND THAT HE HAD ONLY SO MANY BSHSTROK LEFT. THE NAKED MAN THE PORTRA WAS PLETED, BUT THE DOG, A TAN-AND-WHE WHIPPET, WOULD NEVER GET S HD LEGS. FRD PRRIZED S HEAD AND FACE, ADDG A LTLE DART OF TERRE VERTE (“GREEN EARTH”) MIXED WH UMBER TO PICT THE TIP OF THE ANIMAL’S PRICKED-UP RIGHT EAR. IN EARLY JULY, FRD WAS ADDRSG THE PATG’S FOREGROUND: THE FOLDS AND RIPPL THE SHEET THAT VERED THE LOW PLATFORM UPON WHICH HIS TWO MOLS SPRAWLED. HERE AND THERE, AS HIS ENERGY PERMTED, HE APPLIED QUICK STROK OF FLAKE WHE, A THICK, LEAD-HEAVY PAT, TO THE LOWER PART OF THE NVAS.THAT WAS AS FAR AS HE GOT. ABLE TO STAND NO LONGER, HE AT LAST RETIRED TO HIS BEDROOM, ONE FLOOR UP OM THE STUD HE KEPT HIS GEIAN TOWN HOE WT LONDON. AS HE LAY BED, IENDS AND FAY GATHERED TO PAY THEIR RPECTS. THERE WERE MANY VISORS OM BOTH TEGORI. FRD HAD AN OTHERWORLDLY MAGISM THAT HIS TIMAT STGGLE TO PUT TO WORDS. DEBORAH CAVENDISH, THE DOWAGER DUCHS OF DEVONSHIRE, ONCE ASCRIBED TO HIM “A SORT OF STARRY QUALY … AN EXTRAORDARY SORT OF MERCURIAL THG. HE’S LIKE SOMETHG NOT QUE LIKE A HUMAN BEG, MORE LIKE A WILL-O’-THE-WISP.” OVER THE URSE OF HIS LIFE HE FATHERED 14 ACKNOWLEDGED CHILDREN WH SIX WOMEN. AMONG HIS NE DGHTERS ARE THE FASHN SIGNER BELLA FRD AND THE NOVELIST ESTHER FRD. TWO WEEKS TO THEIR BEDSI VIGIL, HE WAS GONE.FRD’S WAS NOT ONE OF THOSE POSTSCRIPT ATHS, THE FAL HEADLE A LIFE THAT HAD LONG AGO CEASED TO MATTER OR PROGRS. IT WAS AN TERPTN—THE ULTIMATE NVENIENCE FOR A MAN WHO STILL HAD PLENTY OF WORK TO DO AND PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO SEE HIS WORK. THE RTRATR JEREMY KG, WHO WAS MORE THAN A HUNDRED STGS TO AN UNPLETED ETCHG WHEN FRD DIED—HAVG ALREADY SAT FOR A PATG PLETED 2007—RELLS THAT THE ARTIST “NEVER ME TO TERMS WH THE FACT THAT HE WAS SLOWG DOWN. HE NSTANTLY SAID, ‘WHAT’S WRONG WH ME?’ AND I’D SAY, ‘WELL, LUCIAN, YOU’RE ACTUALLY MUCH MORE ACTIVE THAN ANY OTHER 68-YEAR-OLD I KNOW, LET ALONE 88.’ AND THE MOMENT HE LIFTED HIS HANDS, MOST OF HIS AILMENTS SEEMED TO MELT AWAY. THE NCENTRATN AND THE ADRENALE PHED HIM THROUGH.”FROM HIS MID-60S ONWARD, THE POCHLE YEARS FOR MOST MEN HIS AGE, FRD HAD BEEN ENJOYG A UFUL AND VIGORO LATE PERD. THIS WASN’T A FUNCTN OF CRIL REGNN, THOUGH HAPPENED TO BE THIS PERD THAT CRIL FAVOR FALLY SED UPON HIM, WH *TIME’*S ROBERT HUGH JUDGG HIM “THE BT REALIST PATER ALIVE,” A SOBRIQUET THAT STUCK. NOR WAS A MATTER OF MERCIAL SUCCS, THOUGH WAS 2008 THAT FRD’S BENEFS SUPERVISOR SLEEPG (1995) FETCHED THE HIGHT-EVER CTN PRICE FOR A PATG BY A LIVG ARTIST, SELLG AT CHRISTIE’S TO THE RSIAN PETROGARCH ROMAN ABRAMOVICH FOR $33.6 LN.FRD SIMPLY DID GREAT WORK AS AN OLD MAN, SOME OF HIS GREATT. “IN A SENSE, I THK HE KNEW THIS WAS HIS LAST BIG PH AT MAKG SOME REMARKABLE WORKS. I ULD JT SEE THAT HE WAS REALLY AMB, PHG AS HARD AS HE ULD,” SAYS THE NAKED MAN THAT FAL PATG, DAVID DAWSON, THE ARTIST’S LONGTIME ASSISTANT AND THE OWNER OF ELI, THE WHIPPET STAR OF SEVERAL LATE PATGS. (FRD HAD BTOWED THE DOG UPON DAWSON AS A CHRISTMAS PRENT 2000.) WHEN DAWSON STARTED WORKG FOR FRD, 20 YEARS AGO, THE ARTIST WAS THE MIDDLE OF A SERI OF NUS OF THE DRAG PERFORMER AND MIMON FIXTURE LEIGH BOWERY. BOWERY WAS A HUGE MAN, LENGTHWISE AND GIRTHWISE, WH A BALD, OBLONG HEAD—A LOT TO WORK WH TERMS OF TOPOGRAPHY, PHYSGNOMY, AND EPIRMAL HECTARAGE. YET FRD WENT BIGGER STILL, PATG BOWERY LARGER THAN LIFE-SIZE. FRD HAD HIS NVAS EXTEND NORTHWARD, EASTWARD, AND WTWARD AS SUED HIM; OFTEN, HE WOULD WORK THE UPPER REACH OF A PATG OM ATOP A SET OF PORTABLE STEPS.AN ISLAND UPON AN ISLANDTHERE WERE LOTS OF BIG PATGS THIS LATE PERD: NOT JT OF BOWERY AND HIS CLUBGOG IEND SUE TILLEY, THE HEAVYSET WELFARE-AGENT-BY-DAY OF BENEFS SUPERVISOR SLEEPG, BUT OF MORE ORDARILY PROPORTNED PEOPLE, SUCH AS FRD’S ARY-OFFICER IEND ANDREW PARKER BOWL. THE SEVEN-FOOT-TALL PORTRA OF PARKER BOWL, THE BRIGADIER, PATED OVER 18 MONTHS OF STGS BETWEEN 2003 AND 2004, WAS A PLAYFUL EXPERIMENT: FRD DISPENSG WH HIS UAL PROPENSY FOR EXPOSED FLH TO DO A REYNOLDS- OR GASBOROUGH-STYLE PATG OF A DISTGUISHED BRISH GENTLEMAN UNIFORM—ALBE WH A CHARACTERISTILLY LUMPY, EARTHY, FRDIAN TWIST. “LUCIAN ASKED TO PAT ME THE UNIFORM I WORE WHEN I WAS A MANR OF THE HOEHOLD CAVALRY,” SAYS PARKER BOWL, THE FORMER HBAND OF CALA AND A FORMER SILVER STICK WAG TO THE QUEEN. “BUT HAD BEEN 20 YEARS SCE I’D WORN , AND I’D GOT FATTER. SO I UNDID MY TUNIC AND MY STOMACH ME OUT.”THE PATG IS MAGNIFICENT—MELANCHOLY AND FUNNY AT THE SAME TIME: A ARY MAN RPLENNT HIS BERIBBONED AT WH A GOLD-BRAID LLAR AND HIS SMART DARK TROERS WH WI RED STRIP DOWN THE SI, BUT WH HIS FACE LOST THOUGHT (NOSTALGIA? REGRET? ENNUI?) AND HIS MIDSECTN ASSERTG SELF AS THE PICTURE’S FOL POT. THE PLACKET DOWN THE MIDDLE OF PARKER BOWL’S WHE SHIRT DIVIS HIS GUT TO TWO TTICULAR BULG. “WHEN I LOOK THE MIRROR, I THK, NOT BAD, BUT THEN I SEE THE PATG AND HEAR PEOPLE SAY THGS LIKE ‘IT SHOWS THE CLE OF THE BRISH EMPIRE,’ ” SAYS PARKER BOWL. “WELL, SO BE .”IN ADDN TO TACKLG THE BIG NVAS, FRD RUMED MAKG ETCHGS LATE LIFE, RETURNG TO A FORM HE’D LEFT BEHD HIS YOUTH. HE TOOK ON HIS SHARE OF SMALL PATGS, TOO, SUCH AS HIS NECK-UP PORTRAS OF KG, DAVID HOCKNEY (2002), AND A DISTCTLY BRORICK CRAWFORD-REMBLG QUEEN ELIZABETH II (2001).AT THE TIME OF HIS ATH, FRD WAS NOT ONLY PARTWAY THROUGH THE ETCHG OF KG, WHOSE RTRANT THE WOLSELEY HE DED SEVERAL NIGHTS A WEEK, BUT ALSO WELL TO HIS SEND PATED PORTRA OF SALLY CLARKE, WHOSE RTRANT-Fé, CLARKE’S, A NOTTG HILL STUTN JT DOWN THE ROAD OM HIS HOE, WAS WHERE HE TOOK HIS BREAKFAST AND LUNCH NEARLY EVERY DAY.THIS OVERDRIVE WORK ETHIC WAS AT ONCE AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PENDG MORTALY AND A HEDGE AGAST . DAWSON MARVELS AT WHAT HIS BOSS MANAGED TO ACHIEVE. “THE SHEER VOLUME, THE SLE,” HE SAYS. “HE NEVER SHED THE WORK. BUT, MY GOD, ONE GREAT PATG AFTER ANOTHER ME OUT. HE FELT HE ULD DO AND HE WAS ABLE TO. AND THIS WAS HIS LAST CHANCE.”DPE STANDG ONLY ABOUT FIVE FEET SIX, FRD WAS AN IMPOSG FIGURE, WH A FIERCE GAZE OFTEN LIKENED TO A HAWK’S, AND A SEVERE, ARISTOCRATIC MIEN; EVEN WHEN PATG, HE ALWAYS WORE A LONG SRF, RAKISHLY KNOTTED AT THE NECK. HE WAS ALSO AN TENSELY PRIVATE MAN WHO DIDN’T WANT HIS BGRAPHY TO RM PEOPLE’S RECEPTN OF HIS ART. THAT HE WAS THE MIDDLE SON OF THE YOUNGT SON OF SIGMUND FRD; THAT HE HAD BEEN BORN 1922 BERL AND MOVED WH HIS FAY TO ENGLAND 1933, THE YEAR HLER BEME CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY; THAT HIS ACQUATANC OVER THE URSE OF HIS LIFE RAN THE GAMUT OM PABLO PISSO TO ALBERTO GIAETTI TO THE DE OF BEFORT TO THE GANGSTER KRAY TWS TO KATE MOSS; THAT HE WAS A LADI’ MAN AND AN VETERATE HORSEPLAYER—ALL IRRELEVANT. AN ARTIST, HE SAID, SHOULD APPEAR HIS WORK “NO MORE THAN GOD NATURE. THE MAN IS NOTHG; THE WORK IS EVERYTHG.”AND, FAIR ENOUGH, ONE NEEDN’T KNOW ANYTHG ABOUT FRD TO APPRECIATE HIS PICTUR. CONSIR HIS MASTERY, PATGS RANGG OM PREGNANT GIRL (1960–61) TO NAKED GIRL WH EGG (1980–81) TO WOMAN HOLDG HER THUMB (1992) TO NAKED PORTRA (2004–5), OF HOW BOSOMS SAG AND POOL ATOP A RECUMBENT WOMAN’S CHT—AN UNIALIZED VIEW OF WOMANHOOD THAT’S NEVERTHELS ALMOST FEMIST S RISTANCE TO PRCRIBED EXPECTATNS OF LADY PORTRAURE. OR NSIR THE HYPER-MASCULE WHOMP LIVERED BY HEAD OF A BIG MAN (1975), S MIDDLE-AGED STER’S FLORID, MEATY NOGG RISG MENACGLY OUT OF A PALE-BLUE DRS SHIRT LIKE THE HEAD OF A CRANKY TORTOISE OUT OF S SHELL. THE IMAG MAY BE UNSPARG, BUT THEY ARE NOT, AS FRD’S TRACTORS AND EVEN SOME OF HIS ADMIRERS SAY, CEL AND/OR GROTQUE. RATHER, THEY ARE TENSIVE ENGAGEMENTS WH HIS MOLS AS LIVG CREATUR, WHAT THEIR HEADS AND BODI ARE LIKE AS BLOOD, OXYGEN, AND EMOTN CIRCULATE THROUGH THEM. THEY’RE FUN, AMAZG PICTUR TO GET LOST .THIS YEAR, TWO MAJOR RETROSPECTIV WILL GIVE THE BRISH AND AMERIN PUBLIC AN UNPRECENTED OPPORTUNY FOR FULL-ON FRD IMMERSN. ON FEBARY 9 THE NATNAL PORTRA GALLERY’S EXHIBN “LUCIAN FRD PORTRAS” OPENS LONDON AS PART OF THE CY’S CULTURAL OLYMPIAD N-UP TO THE SUMMER OLYMPIC GAM. FEATURG MORE THAN 130 PIEC, IS THE FIRST FRD RETROSPECTIVE VOTED EXCLIVELY TO HIS PICTNS OF PEOPLE, AND THE ARTIST WAS PERSONALLY VOLVED S PREPARATN—ALTHOUGH, SAYS THE MM’S CURATOR OF NTEMPORARY ART, SARAH HOWGATE, “HE DID SAY, ‘WELL, I WON’T BE AROUND 2012.’ ” THE “PORTRAS” SHOW WILL MOVE TO TEXAS THIS SUMMER, OPENG AT THE MORN ART MM OF FORT WORTH ON THE SEND OF JULY. AND ON FEBARY 17 THE BLA/SOUTHERN GALLERY, LONDON, WILL UNVEIL “LUCIAN FRD: DRAWGS,” THE MOST PREHENSIVE SURVEY EVER OF FRD’S WORKS ON PAPER, PRENTG MORE THAN A HUNDRED DRAWGS AND ETCHGS OM THE 1940S TO THE NEAR PRENT. THE “DRAWGS” RETROSPECTIVE WILL BE AT BLA/SOUTHERN THROUGH APRIL 5 AND THEN AT ACQUAVELLA GALLERI, NEW YORK, OM APRIL 30 THROUGH THE NTH OF JUNE.IT WAS WH THE NATNAL PORTRA GALLERY EXHIBN MD THAT FRD DITED HIMSELF TO GETTG AS FAR AS HE ULD ON PORTRA OF THE HOUND, AS THE SQUARE PATG OF DAWSON AND ELI HAS E TO BE KNOWN. HE HAD SPENT MUCH OF HIS REER BEG EPLY UNFASHNABLE, A FIGURATIVE ARTIST BOTTED WH CONSTABLE AND TIAN AS THE MIDCENTURY WORLD AROUND HIM WENT ABSTRACT EXPRSNIST, OP, AND POP. NOT THAT THIS EVER SEEMED TO AFFECT HIM. WHILE OTHERS HIS HORT—SUCH AS THE ARTIST-ILLTRATOR JOHN MTON, WHO WAS THE SUBJECT OF A GLOOMY, ARRTG FRD PORTRA 1952 AND TOOK HIS OWN LIFE 1957—SPAIRED OF THEIR IRRELEVANCE, FRD RRIED ON, AN ISLAND UPON AN ISLAND.HE DID, HOWEVER, UNRGO ONE MAJOR STYLISTIC SHIFT. HIS EARLY WORKS ARE OLLY LORED, DRAFTSMAN-PRECISE, AND STRICTLY TWO-DIMENSNAL—BEREFT OF THE FLHLY QUALI WH WHICH HE WOULD E TO BE INTIFIED. HIS LATE-40S PATGS OF HIS FIRST WIFE, KTY GARMAN, THE DGHTER OF THE SCULPTOR SIR JAB EPSTE, ARE WONRFUL THEIR OWN WAY BUT SEEMGLY THE WORK OF SOME OTHER ARTIST: HER FACE RENRED WH A ROLLG-PNED FLATNS, AND EVERY LAST IZZ OF HER SPL-END HAIR FAHFULLY DOCUMENTED. BUT FRD’S IENDSHIP WH THE ARTIST FRANCIS BAN, WHICH BEGAN THE 1940S, PROMPTED HIM TO CHANGE HIS APPROACH: “I THK THAT FRANCIS’S WAY OF PATG EELY HELPED ME FEEL MORE DARG,” HE SAID.THE NEW, EE APPROACH PROVED REVELATORY, NOT JT TO THE ARTIST BUT TO HIS DIENCE. THE TRANSNAL WOMAN A WHE SHIRT, PATED 1956 AND ’57, IS A GOOD EXAMPLE. ITS SUBJECT WAS HIS IEND THE DUCHS OF DEVONSHIRE, NéE DEBORAH MFORD, THE YOUNGT OF THE MFORD SISTERS. BUT HER ENGLISH-ROSE BETY IS HARDLY EVINT THE PORTRA, ROILED AS IS WH SWABS AND SWIRLS OF DRAB LOR—“ALL GREENISH KHAKI,” AS THE NOW 91-YEAR-OLD DOWAGER DUCHS WR HER NEWT MEMOIR, WA FOR ME! YET THE WONR OF IS, FRD’S PATG, S TURBULENT STROK AND M.R.I.-LIKE SCTY, FORETOLD THE FUTURE: “AS I HAVE GOT OLR,” S SUBJECT WR, “SO MY LIKENS TO THE PORTRA GROWS.”FRD’S BSHWORK WOULD GET ONLY EER OM THERE AS HE SWAPPED OUT HIS SOFT SABLE BSH FOR STIFF, BRISTLY HOG’S-HAIR ON THAT HE WOULD SNIP DOWN TO NUBS. FROM THE 60S FORWARD, THE PAT GOT THICKER, TOO—WHORLED, LAYERED, AND SMEARED AS HE LABORLY BUILT UP FORM THROUGH LOR. NOT UNCINTALLY, FRD’S PATGS BEME MORE SENSUAL, CREASGLY IF NOT EXCLIVELY FOCED ON NU BODI.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERPAMPERED STERSGIVEN FRD’S AVERSN TO PUBLICY AND HIS EMPHASIS ON “THE WORK,” ’S TEMPTG TO TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD AND AVOID ANY DISCSN OF “THE MAN.” YET THE TTH IS, WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE WAS LIKE WERE SENTIAL TO HOW HE WENT ABOUT THIS WORK.THE FLIP SI OF FRD’S FIERCENS WAS HIS MAGISM, HIS PROFOUND CHARISMA. SEBASTIAN SMEE, THE ATRALIAN-BORN ART CRIC FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE AND ONE OF THE SELECT GROUP OF WRERS THAT FRD LET TO HIS LIFE, SCRIB THE TIME HE SPENT ALONE WH THE ARTIST AS HAVG BEEN CHARGED WH “A KD OF EMOTNAL RISK. AT THE BACK OF YOUR MD, I SUPPOSE, WAS ALWAYS THE SENSE THAT IF YOU SAID SOMETHG STUPID OR OBNOX OR SOMEHOW EPLY IRRATG TO HIM YOU MIGHT LEAVE AND NEVER BE SUMMONED AGA. AND YET, UNTERG THIS, THERE WAS THE REALY OF THIS CREDIBLY SENSIVE AND EPLY NSIRATE PERSON WHO, IF HE LIKED YOU, WOULD FIVE ALL MANNER OF IDCI, EXTEND YOU NO END OF URTI, AND, EVEN BETTER, EXTEND YOU THE GREAT PLIMENT OF SPEAKG HIS MD ONT OF YOU.”AND THAT’S OM SOMEONE WHO NEVER MOLED FOR FRD. FOR THOSE WHO DID, HE ST STILL MORE OF A SPELL. HIS CHARISMA WAS CCIAL TO HIS METHOD. IT WAS WHAT MA HIS MOLS BEAR HAPPILY THE LONG ORAL OF STG FOR HIM, AND THEREFORE WHAT AFFORD FRD THE OPPORTUNY TO OBSERVE HIS SUBJECTS AT LENGTH—PICKG UP ON EVERY TWCH OF A FACIAL MCLE, EVERY ERATN OF HOW A SUBCUTANEO LAYER OF THIGH FAT BULGED THROUGH A STER’S SK.“I WAS FASCATED BY HIS PROCS,” SAYS DAVID HOCKNEY. “HE WAS SLOW. VERY SLOW. I WORKED OUT THAT I SAT FOR HIM FOR 120 HOURS. AND BEE HE TOOK A LONG, LONG TIME, WE TALKED A LOT: ABOUT OUR LIV, PEOPLE WE KNEW MON, BCHY ARTIST GOSSIP. HE WANTED YOU TO TALK SO HE ULD WATCH HOW YOUR FACE MOVED. HE HAD THE CREDIBLE EY THAT SORT OF PIERCED TO YOU, AND I ULD TELL WHEN HE WAS WORKG ON A SPECIFIC PART OF MY FACE, MY LEFT CHEEK OR SOMETHG. BEE THOSE EY WOULD BE PEERG : PEERG AND PIERCG.”THE MOST PREHENSIVE ACUNT OF WHAT ’S LIKE TO S FOR FRD IS MAN WH A BLUE SRF, AN EXCELLENT BOOK PUBLISHED 2010 BY THE THOR AND BLOOMBERG NEWS ART CRIC MART GAYFORD. IT CHRONICL, JOURNAL STYLE, THE PROCS BY WHICH FRD PATED A PORTRA OF GAYFORD OVER A SUCCSN OF NIGHT STGS BETWEEN NOVEMBER 2003 AND JULY 2004. SOMEWHAT EARLY THE PROCS, GAYFORD REALIZ WHAT HE IS FOR:WHEN HE IS REALLY NCENTRATG HE MUTTERS NSTANTLY, GIVG HIMSELF STCTNS: “Y, PERHAPS—A B,” “QUE!,” “NO-O, I DON’T THK SO,” “A B MORE YELLOW.” ONCE OR TWICE HE IS ABOUT TO APPLY A STROKE, THEN WHDRAWS, NSIRS AGA, THEN RE-SCTIZ, MEASURG MY FACE WH LTLE MAPPG MOVEMENTS OF THE BSH, SCRIBG A SMALL CURVE THE AIR OR MOVG UPWARDS. THE WHOLE PROCRE IS HUGELY LIBERATIVE. WHEN I GET UP AND STRETCH MY LEGS AFTER ABOUT FORTY MUT OF WORK, SPE WHAT SEEMED TO BE PLENTY OF VIGORO ACTIVY WH THE BSH, LTLE SEEMS TO HAVE CHANGED ON THE NVAS.FRD LIKED TO LL HIMSELF A BLOGIST AT HEART, AND HE APPLIED HIMSELF TO HIS WORK WH THE DISCIPLE AND RIGOR OF A SCIENTIST A LAB. EACH DAY, HE TORE A CLEAN PIECE OF WHE TTON SHEETG OM THE PILE OF RAGS HE KEPT THE STUD—MISSNED HOTEL SHEETS PURCHASED BULK OM A RECYCLG BS—AND TUCKED UNR HIS BELT TO SERVE AS AN APRON. HE WIPED HIS BSH CLEAN AFTER EACH DIVIDUAL BSHSTROKE, PASTAKGLY REMIXG THE LORS ON THE HEAVY PALETTE HE HELD HIS RIGHT HAND. (FRD PATED LEFT-HAND.)NOT THAT HIS WORKDAY WAS A PAGEANT OF SOLEMNY. HIS SUBJECTS TALK OF THE MERRIMENT AND PAMPERG THAT BEG A FRD STER ENTAILED: THE LUCIAN-LED SG-ALONGS OF SUCH STANDARDS AS COLE PORTER’S “MISS OTIS REGRETS” AND RODGERS & HART’S “WHERE OR WHEN”; THE STORI HE SHARED OF HIS YOUTH AND HIS BUBBLY TIM 1950S PARIS; THE SILLY VERSE HE RECED OM MEMORY; THE MEALS HE’D SPRG FOR AT THE WOLSELEY AND CLARKE’S; THE FOOD HE PREPARED HIMSELF, OFTEN WOODCK, PARTRIDGE, OR SNIPE THAT PARKER BOWL MAY HAVE SHOT AND SENT UP OM THE UNTRY.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERTHERE WAS AN ULTERR MOTIVE BEYOND SOCIABILY TO ALL THIS LAVISHG OF ATTENTN: “HE WOULD BE WATCHG YOU THE WHOLE TIME, SO HE’D GET A BIGGER UNRSTANDG OF WHAT HE WAS PATG,” SAYS DAWSON. THE BLOGIST HIM WANTED TO SUBJECT THE STER TO A VARIETY OF NDNS: HUNGRY, FFEATED, TIRED, PEEVED, SLIGHTLY DNK.“THE TIME HE ED TO LIKE ME MOST WAS IF I HAD A HANER,” SAYS COZETTE MCCREERY, THE SUBJECT OF THE PATG IRISH WOMAN ON A BED (2003–4), WHO MET THE ARTIST WHILE WORKG AS AN ASSISTANT TO HIS DGHTER BELLA. “I ASKED, ‘IS THAT BEE I’LL JT S HERE AND SHUT UP?’ AND HE WAS LIKE, ‘NO, NO, YOU HAVE A SORT OF GLOW!’ ”A FAVORE NVERSATNAL TOPIC OF FRD’S DURG STGS, NOT AT ALL TABOO, WAS HIS PATERNAL GRANDFATHER. FRD HAD WARM PERSONAL MEMORI OF THE OLD MAN, BOTH OM HIS CHILDHOOD ON THE CONTENT AND OM SIGMUND’S BRIEF TIME LONDON, TO WHICH HE FLED 1938, A YEAR BEFORE HIS ATH. BUT LUCIAN WAS STHGLY DISMISSIVE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS. TO HIS STERS, HE WAS FOND OF RECG THIS LIMERICK, WH S SCY DOUBLE ENTENDRE AT THE END:THOSE GIRLS WHO EQUENT PICTURE PALACHAVE NO E FOR THIS PSYCHOANALYSISAND ALTHOUGH DR. FRDIS EXTREMELY ANNOYEDTHEY CLG TO THEIR LONG-STANDG FALLACI.MCCREERY REMEMBERS THE GLEE WH WHICH FRD NSIRED THE IA THAT CRICS MIGHT LOOK FOR FRDIAN-AS--SIGMUND RONANCE HIS WORK. IN THE VERY STRANGE PICTURE WHICH SHE APPEARS, SHE SLOUCH, NU AND SEMI-UPRIGHT, ON A RICKETY-LOOKG WROUGHT-IRON BED, HER LV RTG UPON A GASHED PILLOW THAT IS LEAKG FEATHERS. SOME WHE CHERRI RT ON THE BED BI HER, A FEW OF THEM SEEMGLY FLOATG UP NEXT TO HER THIGH.“HE SAID, ‘I’M GOG TO STAB THE PILLOW—I WANT FEATHERS EVERYWHERE!’ AND HE JT BURST OUT LGHG,” MCCREERY SAYS. “I WAS LIKE, ‘WHAT’S SO FUNNY?’ AND HE SAID, ‘WHAT WOULD MY ANCTOR HAVE MA OF THIS? A STABBED PILLOW AND CHERRI!’ HE ACTUALLY HOPED THAT WOULD E A VERY OBV RIPPLE SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LE.”EXTEND FAIYET THERE IS NO AVOIDG THE OBV PARALLELS BETWEEN THE STG PROCS AND PSYCHOTHERAPY: THE REGIMENTED ONE-ON-ONE SSNS; THE TERPLAY BETWEEN THE OBSERVER AND THE STER; THE ACCUMULATED HOURS GHT WH SELF-EXAMATN. “LERALLY, HE WOULD BEG A NVERSATN WH ‘TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD,’ ” MCCREERY SAYS.“I LEARNED AN AWFUL LOT ABOUT MYSELF,” SAYS JEREMY KG. “NOT JT BY LOOKG AT THE PORTRA, BUT TALKG TO HIM, WATCHG HIM, AND JT STG THERE. BEE, OF URSE, ’S AN CREDIBLY MEDATIVE EXPERIENCE. YOU DO FEEL QUE EXPOSED.”THE CCIAL DIFFERENCE OM THERAPY WAS THAT THE ARTIST WAS THE MORE ACTIVE PARTICIPANT THE TRANSACTN, AND, MOREOVER, HE HAD NO OBLIGATN TO OBSERVE PROFSNALLY MANDATED BOUNDARI. “I’D RELISH THE CHANCE TO HAVE SUCH AN TENSE AND TIMATE EXPERIENCE,” SAYS KG, “AND I ULD CERTALY UNRSTAND WHY, WH SOME OF HIS MOLS, PARTICULARLY WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER, WOULD VELOP TO MORE. BEE IS VERY, VERY SENSUAL.”FOR HIS NUS, WHICH FRD PREFERRED TO LL NAKED PORTRAS—“THE WORD ‘NU’ IMPLIED TO HIM AN OBJECT, NOT A PERSON,” SAYS DAWSON—THE ARTIST KEPT THE HEAT CRANKED UP. THIS WAS OSTENSIBLY THE TERT OF KEEPG HIS STERS FORTABLE, AND WAS CERTALY EFUL KEEPG DOG POSERS LIKE ELI BLISSFULLY STILL FOR HOURS ON END. BUT THE RADIATOR WARMTH ALSO LENT AN OVERALL AIR OF LANGUOR AND NCE TO THE POS OF FRD’S NAKED HUMAN STERS, EVEN AS THE STUDS WHICH HE PATED— PADDGTON, HOLLAND PARK, AND, FALLY, NOTTG HILL—APPEARED THE PATGS EXACTLY AS THEY WERE: RATTY, SPARE, AND UNSUMPTUO.FRD’S WOMEN STERS WERE OFTEN LOVERS, OR WOMEN WHO BEME HIS LOVERS, AND, SOME S, LOVERS WHO BEME THE MOTHERS OF HIS CHILDREN. HE HAD TWO CHILDREN WH HIS FIRST WIFE, KTY GARMAN, HIS DGHTERS ANNIE AND ANNABEL. HE HAD NONE WH HIS SEND WIFE, THE SOCIETY BETY CAROLE BLACKWOOD (LATER THE WIFE OF POET ROBERT LOWELL), AND NEVER MARRIED AGA AFTER THEY DIVORCED, 1958. BUT HE HAD ALREADY RRIED ON PROCREATG, FATHERG A SON, ALEXANR, 1957 WH A STUNT AT THE SLA SCHOOL OF FE ART NAMED SUZY BOYT, THE SUBJECT OF HIS EARLY NEW-STYLE PATG WOMAN SG (1958–59). THREE MORE CHILDREN WH BOYT FOLLOWED THE NEXT 12 YEARS: ROSE, ISOBEL, AND SIE. (FRD NSIRED ANOTHER CHILD OF BOYT’S, KAI, TO BE HIS STEPSON.) MORE OR LS NCURRENTLY, FRD HAD FOUR CHILDREN WH KATHERE MCADAM, WHOM HE HAD MET WHEN SHE WAS A STUNT AT ST. MART’S ART LLEGE: JANE, PL, LUCY, AND DAVID.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERWH ANOTHER ART STUNT, BERNARDE COVERLEY, FRD HAD BELLA AND ESTHER THE EARLY 60S; HIS PATG PREGNANT GIRL (1960–61) IS EFFECTIVELY THE “BEFORE,” PTURG THE TOPLS, 18-YEAR-OLD COVERLEY TENR REPOSE, TO THE “AFTER” OF BABY ON A GREEN SOFA (1961), WHICH BABY BELLA NAPS WH ARMS OUTSTRETCHED AND FISTS BALLED. WH LADY JACQUETTA ELT, COUNTS OF ST. GERMANS—WHO LI NU A BED BEHD THE ARTIST’S SEATED MOTHER, LUCIE, LARGE INTERR W9 (1973)—FRD HAD A SON, FREDDIE, BORN 1971. AND WH THE ARTIST CELIA PL—LIKE COVERLEY, THE SUBJECT OF A GENTLE PORTRA PATED WHILE SHE WAS EXPECTG, THIS SE GIRL STRIPED NIGHTSHIRT (1985)—FRD HAD A SON, FRANK, WHO AT 27 IS THE YOUNGT OF HIS CHILDREN, WH ANNIE, AT 63, THE ELST.AS RAFFISHLY BOHEMIAN AS THE ARRANGEMENTS MAY SOUND, WAS NO EASY ROAD FOR THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN VOLVED. FRD WAS SELFISH ABOUT HIS TIME—HE UNAPOLOGETILLY ED THE WORD—AND HAD NO TERT RAISG HIS CHILDREN AS A NVENTNAL FATHER WOULD; PATG ME FIRST. THERE IS A SMALL SHELF OF LERATURE BY THE FRD OFFSPRG THAT, DIRECTLY OR DIRECTLY, ACKNOWLEDG THE FALLOUT OM HAVG HIM AS A FATHER. ESTHER FRD, ROSE BOYT, AND SIE BOYT HAVE WRTEN NOVELS WH TOBGRAPHIL ELEMENTS TO THEM, WHILE ANNIE FRD HAS PUBLISHED TWO LLECTNS OF POEMS THAT, ON OCSN, NOD SLYLY TOWARD HER FATHER. THE BT KNOWN OF THE WORKS IS ESTHER’S HIO KKY, WHICH IS BASED ON HER AND BELLA’S EXPERIENC LIVG MOROC WH THEIR QUTG, PROTO-HIPPIE MOM, COVERLEY, AS SHE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT HER LIFE THE 60S AS A PARTNERLS AND STILL VERY YOUNG WOMAN. (THE NOVEL, WHICH THE GIRLS’ FATHER IS A DISTANT POET WHO OCSNALLY SENDS MONEY, WAS MA TO A 1998 FILM STARRG KATE WSLET THE MOTHER ROLE.)EVEN SO, ALL OF FRD’S CHILDREN SAVE THE MCADAMS, WHOSE MOTHER TOOK AN UNROMANTIC VIEW OF HIS FILY AND CUT OFF MUNITN WH THE ARTIST, WOUND UP STG FOR HIM. IN A 2004 DOCUMENTARY ABOUT FRD’S STERS DIRECTED BY JAKE AUERBACH, THE SON OF FRD’S BT ARTIST IEND, THE PATER FRANK AUERBACH, SOME OF THE YOUNGER FRDS REFLECTED ON THE EXPERIENCE. “YOU HAVE A CHOICE, AND NOT ALL OF HIS CHILDREN HAVE MA , OM VERY YOUNG, THAT YOU N GET THE GOOD B IF YOU WANT TO ACCEPT WHAT HE’S LIKE. OR YOU N NOT GET BY BEG ANGRY FOR HIM NOT BEG LIKE SOMEONE ELSE’S FATHER,” SAID ESTHER. “WHEN I WAS 16, I MOVED TO LONDON, AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY I STARTED TO S FOR HIM. AND WAS A REALLY LOVELY WAY TO GET TO KNOW HIM BEE UNTIL THEN I HADN’T EVER LIVED THE SAME CY AS HIM.”ROSE BOYT, WHOSE NOVELS SEXUAL INTERURSE AND ROSE BETRAY A DARKER SENSIBILY THAN ESTHER’S, RELLED THE FILM THE CIRCUMSTANC UNR WHICH FRD’S EXTRAORDARY PORTRA OF HER, ALSO LLED ROSE (1978–79), ME ABOUT. IT’S AN ATYPIL FRD NU, OF A PISSED-OFF-LOOKG LLEGE-AGED GIRL LYG ON A UCH WH ONE LEG PLANTED ON THE FLOOR AND THE OTHER FOLD UP TIGHT WH TENSN, HER RIGHT HEEL JAMMED AGAST HER RIGHT BUTTOCK. “I DIDN’T WANT TO FEEL FLOPPY AND SOGGY. I WANTED TO FEEL ‘I’M JT ABOUT TO SPRG TO ACTN,’ ” ROSE SAID. “I ULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY ANGRY. AND I WASN’T. AND I FELT THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL FOR ME TO SUDNLY GET UP AND SAY, ‘LOOK, FUCK OFF! I’M NOT DOG THIS ANYMORE!’ OR ‘WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEED YOU, YOU BASTARD?’ AND I THK HE MAYBE WAS A LTLE B WORRIED SE I WAS SUDNLY GOG TO ACTUALLY SPRG UP AND PROTT.”YET HIS CHILDREN GENERALLY SEEMED TO ACCEPT THAT STG FOR FRD WAS THE WAY TO HAVE A FULFILLG RELATNSHIP WH THEIR FATHER. WH FURTHER HDSIGHT, ROSE’S FEELGS ABOUT THE STG EXPERIENCE HAVE GROWN WARMER. “STG FOR ROSE WAS AN TN,” SHE WR VIA E-MAIL. “I MEAN LERALLY—MY FATHER TGHT ME ABOUT SHAKPEARE AND T.S. ELT PARTICULAR, AND I BEME SO TERTED BOOKS I CID TO GO TO UNIVERSY.” THE SSNS FOR THE PORTRA WENT AS LATE AS FOUR THE MORNG, SHE SAYS, AND “OFTEN, ONCE HE HAD FISHED, MY FATHER JT CHUCKED A BLANKET OVER ME AND I SLEPT ON THE SOFA THE STUD UNTIL MORNG WHEN I WENT OFF TO LLEGE.”THE ELST OF FRD’S SONS, ALEXANR BOYT, KNOWN THE FAY AS ALI, SAT AT THREE VERY DIFFERENT JUNCTUR HIS LIFE: AS ONE OF THE TWO ELF MOPPETS (THE OTHER BEG ROSE) HUDDLED AT THE FEET OF THEIR OUTSIZE FATHER ONE OF HIS MOST INIC PATGS, REFLECTN WH TWO CHILDREN (SELF-PORTRA) (1965); AS A SPACED-OUT 70S LONGHAIR ALI (1974); AND AS A PENSIVE, NECKTIED GROWN MAN THE PATER’S SON, ALI (1998).“THE MEMORI OF STORI TOLD AND IAS EXPRSED WHEN STG ARE THE BS THAT WARM ME MOST,” WR ALI, NOW A SERVIC OFFICER FOR DG AND ALHOL ABERS NORTH LONDON, AN E-MAIL. “THE TALKG ABOUT WOMEN AND LOVE AND THE POPE. THE BRILLIANT AND LUDICRO ‘THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH HYPOCRISY I ALLOW MYSELF’ AND ‘ALL I KNOW ABOUT LOVE IS THAT YOU’D RATHER HAVE A MISERABLE TIME WH SOMEONE YOU LOVE THAN A NICE TIME WH SOMEONE YOU DON’T RE ABOUT.’ I ONCE APOLOGIZED TO DAD FOR SOMETHG I DID, AND HE REPLIED, ‘THAT’S NICE OF YOU TO SAY, BUT DON’T WORK LIKE THAT. THERE IS NO SUCH THG AS EE WILL. PEOPLE JT HAVE TO DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.’ ”(THE FRD CHILDREN NTACTED FOR THIS ARTICLE CLED TO BE TERVIEWED PERSON, OUT OF GRIEF AS MUCH AS RPECT FOR THEIR FATHER’S PRIVACY. FOUR OF THEM ARE DOUBLE MOURNG. GARMAN, KNOWN LATER LIFE AS KTY GODLEY, DIED JANUARY 2011 AT THE AGE OF 84. COVERLEY PASSED AWAY JT FOUR DAYS AFTER FRD, AND JT TWO WEEKS AFTER RECEIVG A SURPRISE DIAGNOSIS OF ADVANCED NCER. SHE WAS ONLY 68.)MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERLEIGH BOWERY, UNHIBED SOUL THAT HE WAS, DIDN’T SHY AWAY OM BEG NOSY ABOUT THIS FAY STUFF WHEN HE TERVIEWED FRD FOR AN UNRGROUND ARTS MAGAZE LLED LOVELY JOBLY 1991. “WHEN DID YOU GET THE IA OF WORKG OM YOUR NAKED GROWN-UP DGHTERS?” HE ASKED.“WHEN I STARTED PATG NAKED PEOPLE,” FRD REPLIED.“I N’T THK OF ANOTHER ARTIST WHO HAS DONE THAT. IT MT MAKE THGS, WELL, SLIGHTLY EXTREME,” SAID BOWERY.“MY NAKED DGHTERS HAVE NOTHG TO BE ASHAMED OF,” FRD SAID.SEVEN DAYS A WEEKFRD WAS JT ABOUT TO ENTER HIS 70S WHEN BOWERY TERVIEWED HIM, BUT HE WAS ALREADY AWARE OF THE CLOCK’S TICKG. HE TALKED BLUNTLY OF A NEW PENCHANT FOR WORKG STILL-LONGER HOURS “AS I’VE GOTTEN WEAKER,” AND EXPRSED A FEAR THAT IF HE SLEPT TOO MUCH OR WORKED TOO LTLE “I MIGHT STIFFEN UP AND NOT BE ABLE TO GET UP AGA.”IT WAS AROUND THIS TIME THAT DAWSON ME TO HIS LIFE, A SOFT-SPOKEN, IMPERTURBABLE STGGLG ARTIST WHO GREW UP RAL STLAND AND WAL AND WAS EARNG MONEY WORKG FOR FRD’S THEN ALER, JAM KIRKMAN. DAWSON STARTED TAKG ON MENIAL TASKS FOR FRD AS A “N-AROUND BOY,” HE SAYS. FRD SHORTLY THEREAFTER HAD A FALLG-OUT WH KIRKMAN BUT KEPT DAWSON THE BREAKUP. “I SUPPOSE WE JT LIKED EACH OTHER’S PANY,” DAWSON SAYS. “I PROBABLY ME ALONG AT THE RIGHT TIME AND MA SURE THAT ALL HE HAD TO WORRY ABOUT WAS PATG.”IN 1992, FRD SOUGHT OUT THE NEW YORK ART ALER WILLIAM ACQUAVELLA FOR A LUNCH, KEEN TO HAVE ACQUAVELLA REPRENT HIM. ACQUAVELLA, WHOSE GALLERY IS SUATED A LARGE TOWN HOE ON THE UPPER EAST SI AND SPECIALIZ SENDARY-MARKET SAL OF BIG-NAME AD ARTISTS, WAS SURPRISED AT THE OVERTURE. “I WAS MORE TO PISSO, MATISSE, MIRó,” HE SAYS. “AND I’D HEARD THAT LUCIAN WAS DIFFICULT. BUT WE MET, AND I WENT TO HIS STUD AND SAW ALL THE HUGE LEIGH BOWERY PATGS HE’D BEEN WORKG ON. I WAS KNOCKED OUT AND I BOUGHT THEM ALL. WE ULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT, BUT OM THEN ON I REPRENTED LUCIAN AND WE BEME GOOD IENDS. IT WAS ALL HANDSHAKE. WE NEVER HAD A PIECE OF PAPER BETWEEN .”LIKE DAWSON, ACQUAVELLA TOOK RE OF THGS SO THAT FRD, THE HOMTRETCH OF HIS LIFE, ULD FOC ON PATG. THE ARTIST ALERTED HIS NEW ALER TO THE SMALL MATTER OF SOME GAMBLG BTS HE HAD ACCED. ACQUAVELLA MET WH FRD’S BOOKIE, ALFIE MCLEAN, WHO OWNED A CHA OF BETTG SHOPS NORTHERN IRELAND. MCLEAN ALSO HAPPENED TO BE THE IMPOSG “BIG MAN” OF HEAD OF A BIG MAN AND S RELATED PATGS, THE BIG MAN (1976–77) AND THE BIG MAN II (1981–82). MCLEAN, DULGENT THOUGH HE WAS OF FRD—WHO, KEEPG WH THE FAIAL SPIR WH WHICH HE APPROACHED HIS STERS, HAD ALSO PATED PICTUR OF MCLEAN’S GROWN SONS—TOLD ACQUAVELLA THAT THE PATER OWED HIM $4.6 LN. ACQUAVELLA NOT ONLY SETTLED THE BT BUT STARTED SELLG FRD’S NEW PATGS AT SIX- AND SEVEN-FIGURE PRIC, MAKG THE ARTIST, FOR THE FIRST TIME HIS LIFE, A RICH MAN.“ONCE HE STARTED MAKG MONEY, HE DIDN’T GAMBLE ANYMORE,” SAYS ACQUAVELLA. “HE SAID, ‘IT’S NOT FUN WHEN YOU HAVE THE MONEY. IT’S ONLY FUN WHEN YOU HAVE NO MONEY.’ ”THE OLR FRD GOT, THE MORE CIRCUMSCRIBED HIS WORLD BEME, SELDOM TAKG HIM BEYOND HIS CIRCU OF THE STUD, CLARKE’S, THE WOLSELEY, AND ANOTHER FAVORE DNERTIME HNT, THE ITALIAN RTRANT LONDA LOTELLI. HE NEED TO KEEP PATG. FRD HAD ALWAYS BEEN AN ACUTELY IMPATIENT MAN OUTSI OF HIS WORKPLACE, KNOWN FOR WALKG HEEDLSLY TO FAST-MOVG TRAFFIC AND REERG DOWN NARROW LONDON ROADS AT TERRIFYG SPEEDS HIS OLD BENTLEY. (ALI BOYT: “MY IEND SAYS I DRIVE LIKE A 15-YEAR-OLD A STOLEN R. DAD WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT I DROVE WELL.”) ADVANCED AGE DID NOT MELLOW FRD THIS REGARD. ALEXI WILLIAMS-WYNN, ONE OF HIS LATER MOLS, RELLS THAT “THE SPEED WH WHICH I ENTERED HIS LIFE AND BEGAN STG WAS, I THK, VERY CHARACTERISTIC OF HIM—HIGHLY IMPULSIVE, URGENT, IMPATIENT TOWARDS ANYTHG BEYOND HIS LIFE THE STUD.”WILLIAMS-WYNN, 50 YEARS FRD’S JUNR, WAS STUDYG SCULPTURE AT THE ROYAL AMY. SHE WROTE HIM A FAN LETTER AND, TO HER SURPRISE, RECEIVED AN VATN OM THE ARTIST TO MEET FOR A CUP OF TEA. HE ASKED HER ON THE SPOT TO BEG STG FOR HIM, FOR WHAT BEME NAKED PORTRA (2004–5). SHORTLY TO THIS EXPERIENCE, THEY BEME LOVERS. “I WASN’T TAKG SERLY AT FIRST—I WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE AGE DIFFERENCE,” SHE SAYS, “BUT I FELL LOVE WH HIM. IT WAS SORT OF OUT OF MY HANDS.”FRD HAD BEEN WORKG AT THE TIME ON A LARGE SELF-PORTRA HIS HOLLAND PARK SPACE, A SIXTH-FLOOR WALK-UP THAT HE KEPT AS A SATELLE TO HIS NOTTG HILL BASE OF OPERATNS—S WALLS SCENILLY CSTED WH YEARS OF PALETTE-KNIFE WIPE-OFFS, PRODUCG AN EFFECT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SEAGULL GUANO AND ACTN PATG. DECIDG THAT THE PICTURE WAS TOO MUCH OF AN ARTIST--HIS-ATELIER CLICHé, HE RENCEPTUALIZED SO THAT WILLIAMS-WYNN TOOK A PROMENT ROLE. THE PATG, THE LAST HE EVER DID HOLLAND PARK, WAS TLED THE PATER SURPRISED BY A NAKED ADMIRER. IT SHOWS FRD PSG BEFORE A NVAS WH BSH HAND, STOOPED AND SOMEWHAT BEFUDDLED, AS THE ELY WILLIAMS-WYNN WRAPS HER UNCLOTHED BODY AROUND HIS LEGS, A RAPTURO EXPRSN ON HER FACE.NAKED ADMIRER WAS TECHNILLY TRICKY TO EXECUTE, PECIALLY SCE THE PATG FRD IS PUTATIVELY AT WORK ON WH THE PICTURE IS OF THE SAME IMAGE AS THE REAL PATG: WILLIAMS-WYNN WRAPPG HERSELF AROUND HIM THE STUD—ONE OF THOSE ETERNAL-MIRRORG MD-WARPS. TO PAT , FRD HAD TO LOOK AT HIS AND HIS MOL’S REFLECTNS A MIRROR ACROSS THE ROOM, DISENTANGLE HIMSELF OM WILLIAMS-WYNN, AND PIVOT TO THE NVAS, PATG OM MEMORY WHAT HE HAD JT GLIMPSED. THEN BACK TO POSNS FOR THE NEXT BSHSTROKE.“I QUICKLY FOUND MYSELF STG SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, NIGHT AND DAY. THIS LASTED A YEAR,” SAYS WILLIAMS-WYNN. “WE WERE LOVERS, SO THE SUATN SEEMED QUE NORMAL A HEIGHTENED, EXHILARATG KD OF WAY.” YET WHEN THE STGS FOR THE TWO PATGS END, SO, EFFECTIVELY, DID THE AFFAIR—A DISORIENTG EXPERIENCE THAT, WILLIAMS-WYNN ADMS, TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET OVER. STILL, SHE SAYS, “BEG WH LUCIAN MA ME REALIZE THAT THIS IS NO JOKE: BEG AN ARTIST, BEG ALIVE. IT ALSO MA ME UNRSTAND THAT SELFISHNS IS WHAT TAK TO MAKE GREAT ART.”KG SCRIB A SIAR LSON LEARNED. “I ALWAYS THOUGHT ‘SELFISH’ WAS A PEJORATIVE TERM,” HE SAYS, “BUT WHAT HE BASILLY SAID IS ‘I AM WHAT I AM. THIS IS WHAT I LIKE TO DO. IF YOU WANT TO F WH THAT, YOU’RE VERY WELE TO E TO MY LIFE. BUT DON’T TRY AND MAKE ME SOMETHG I’M NOT.’ THAT FORM OF SELFISHNS I RPECTED A GREAT AL, BEE THERE’S A STRONG HONTY ABOUT .”MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERRUNNG OUT OF TIMELAST APRIL, FRD PLETED HIS FAL NAKED PORTRA OF A WOMAN, AN ARTIST HER 20S NAMED PERIENNE CHRISTIAN. FRD FOUND HER THROUGH HER TUTOR AT THE PRCE’S DRAWG SCHOOL, OM WHICH SHE HAD RECENTLY GRADUATED. IT WAS A PLATONIC RELATNSHIP, BUT, EVABLY, ONE THAT EVOLVED TO SOMETHG AS TIMATE AS THE ARTIST-STER RELATNSHIPS THAT HAD E BEFORE . “HE WAS EXTREMELY AWARE OF NNG OUT OF TIME AND WANTG TO DO SO MUCH MORE,” SAYS CHRISTIAN. “WE DID TALK ABOUT ATH TOWARDS THE END. HE WAS TRATED BY HIS MORTALY.”AND THERE WAS STILL PORTRA OF THE HOUND TO WORK ON. IT WAS ACTUALLY DAWSON’S FOURTH DOUBLE PORTRA WH A DOG. THE FIRST WAS SUNNY MORNG—EIGHT LEGS (1997), WHICH HE NTLED ON A BED WH FRD’S OWN WHIPPET, PLUTO. FRD, MISCHIEVOLY, ROLVED THE ISSUE OF ACHIEVG PICTORIAL BALANCE BY PATG A SEND SET OF DAWSON’S LEGS UNRNEATH THE BED, A CHOICE THAT REQUIRED DAWSON, EVER THE MOL OF SELFLSNS, TO LIE FOR HOURS, NU, UNR THE FURNURE.THEN ME THE EPIC DAVID AND ELI (2003–4), LABELED UPON S UNVEILG A “MASTERPIECE” BY ROBERT HUGH, WHO ULDN’T HELP NOTG, GIVEN THE TRICKS FRD PLAYS WH PERSPECTIVE, THAT DAWSON’S SCROTUM APPEARS “LARGER THAN THE PILLOW BEHD HIS HEAD,” AND ELI AND DAVID (2005–6), WHICH REVEALS FRD, HE OF THE SUPPOSEDLY CLIL, UNFLCHG GAZE, AT HIS SWEETT. DAWSON SS SERENE AND SHIRTLS A WG CHAIR, ELI HIS LAP. DAWSON’S ARMS AND SHOULRS ARE STROKED WH LD OFF-WH, BUT HIS FACE AND STERNUM ARE RED, FLH WH THE WARMTH THAT ELI, NODDG OFF, PROVIS LIKE A HOT-WATER BOTTLE.FRD NEVER PATED TO ELIC RPONS OF “AWWW!,” BUT HE WAS NOT AVERSE TO SENTIMENT. THERE’S A SIAR SWEETNS EVINT LAST PORTRA OF LEIGH, A PATG OF BOWERY’S SLUMBERO HEAD, NO BIGGER THAN A SHEET OF A4 PAPER, THAT FRD PLETED SHORTLY AFTER BOWERY DIED OF H.I.V.-RELATED ILLNS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE 1994. IF STG WAS A WAY FOR HIS CHILDREN TO VELOP A CLOSENS TO FRD, SO WAS PATG A WAY FOR FRD, IF HE SO CHOSE, TO VELOP A CLOSENS TO HIS STERS. NOTWHSTANDG HIS SISTENCE THAT “THE MAN IS NOTHG” THE FISHED ART, THE CREATN OF THIS ART WAS EVERYTHG TO THE MAN: FRD’S WAY OF RELATG TO THE WORLD, THE PEOPLE HE ENUNTERED , AND, ED, THE PEOPLE HE PUT . “MY WORK,” HE SAID, “IS PURELY TOBGRAPHIL. IT IS ABOUT MYSELF AND MY SURROUNDGS. IT IS AN ATTEMPT AT A RERD. I WORK OM PEOPLE THAT TERT ME, AND THAT I RE ABOUT AND THK ABOUT, ROOMS THAT I LIVE AND KNOW.”DAVID KAMP
In makg this se, the field’s many years of anti-gay antipathy are treated as a viatn om Frd’s origal attu of acceptance. To start, while Frd did not believe homosexualy was an illns, he did not thk was entirely normal eher.