An early portrait by Lucian Freud, long denied by the artist, is being exhibited for the first time after authentication. The painting, created in 1939, is believed to depict John Jameson, a friend of Freud's.
Key points
Lucian Freud denied authorship of the portrait for years
The painting is titled 'Man in a Black Scarf'
Created in 1939 while Freud was a student
Sitter is believed to be John Jameson
Authenticated after appearing on BBC's Fake or Fortune
Mentioned in this story
Lucian FreudJohn JamesonBBC
East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing
An early portrait by Lucian Freud, which the artist denied was his for years, is to be exhibited for the first time after experts proved it was painted by him.
Man in a Black Scarf was created in 1939 by the British artist when he was still a student at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in Hadleigh, Suffolk. The sitter is thought to be John Jameson, a friend of Freud’s and scion of the whiskey family.
The work became more widely known after it appeared on the BBC’s Fake or Fortune show in 2016, with the art historian Philip Mould concluding it was very likely a Freud.
But the picture was complicated by the fact Freud had repeatedly denied the work was his before he died in 2011. In 1985, Christie’s identified it as a painting by the artist, but reversed its decision when Freud said he had not painted it.
A sepia-toned monochrome photo showing a very young Lucian Freud sitting in a garden with several others; he has his hands on his knees.
Lucian Freud and friends at Benton End farmhouse in Hadleigh, Suffolk, where the East Anglian School of Painting was based. Photograph: Photographer Unknown
The denial appeared to stem from Freud’s personal feud with the original owners of the work, Denis Wirth-Miller and Richard Chopping, with whom he attended the Suffolk school as a teenager.
“He was the golden boy, he was a star even then and there was jealousy,” says the designer and author Jon Lys Turner, who inherited the work and claims Wirth-Miller kept a list from their school days titled “13 Reasons to Hate Lucian”.
Q&A
What is the significance of the painting 'Man in a Black Scarf' by Lucian Freud?
The painting is significant as it was authenticated after Lucian Freud denied its authorship for years, marking its first public exhibition.
Who is the sitter in Lucian Freud's 'Man in a Black Scarf'?
The sitter is thought to be John Jameson, a friend of Lucian Freud and a member of the whiskey family.
When was 'Man in a Black Scarf' created and where?
'Man in a Black Scarf' was created in 1939 when Lucian Freud was a student at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in Hadleigh, Suffolk.
How was the authenticity of 'Man in a Black Scarf' confirmed?
The authenticity was confirmed by experts, including art historian Philip Mould, who concluded it was very likely painted by Freud.
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Wirth-Miller told Turner he could have the painting on the conditions that he’d authenticate and sell it “in order to infuriate Lucian”. Turner then attempted to have the work signed off as a Freud over the course of 19 years – without success, as experts were not willing to publicly contradict the artist.
Two years after Fake or Fortune aired, a new piece of evidence emerged which supported Turner’s case. Students at the Suffolk art school had noted what they were working on at the end of each day, and records held in the Tate Britain archive showed that Freud had been painting John Jameson in 1939.
Man in a Black Scarf will now be shown publicly for the first time in the Benton End: A Paradise of Pollen and Paint exhibition at the Garden Museum in London. The show takes its name from the Suffolk farmhouse that hosted Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines’s East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing.
Black and white photo of four men of varying ages outside a farmhouse-style building. Three sit around a table with a teapot and mugs while a fourth leans against a wall. They all have their shirtsleeves rolled up and look relaxed in the sunshine.
Cedric Morris, Arthur Lett-Haines and friends at Benton End, where they ran the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing. Morris was an overlooked influence on Freud’s work, says Jon Lys Turner. Photograph: Gainsborough s House and Douglas Atfield
Freud also painted Morris a year after the Black Scarf painting. This work is held in the National Museum of Wales and bears stylistic similarities to Man in a Black Scarf.
Turner says the exhibition will establish the overlooked connection between Morrisand his student Freud. “[The portrait] has a confrontational gaze and these large eyes and the great thick paint sort of daubed and quite roughly handled. It’s an incredibly astute way of capturing that person,” he said. “He was picking this up from Morris.”
Turner has not had Man in a Black Scarf valued, but in 2016 it was speculated that it was worth more than £300,000. However, Freud works can fetch much larger sums: in 2015, his Benefits Supervisor Resting sold for $56m (£42m), with his auction record at $86m. Next month another Freud work, Sleeping by the Lion Carpet, is being auctioned by Sotheby’s in London with an estimate of £25,000-£35,000.