On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Large Head

Print
1993 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Freud, Lucian (artist)
Balakjian, Marc (printer)
Place of origin
London (printed)

This is one of a group of 143 state, trial and cancellation proofs of etchings by Lucian Freud (1922-2011) which came from the collection of Marc Balakjian (1938-2017) of Studio Prints. Balakjian was Freud’s printer from 1985 and worked closely with him on the production of his etchings.

The V&A has three trial proofs (and one cancellation proof) of this print; two of the first state, and one of the second. The first state was bitten and proofed on 10 February 1993 and the second state was proofed on 19 March.

The sitter is Leigh Bowery.

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Discover more about this object
read Lucian Freud and etching Lucian Freud (1922 – 2011) was one of the most renowned British artists of the 20th century. Though he is best known as a painter he was also a keen printmaker, producing versions of many of the subjects featured in his paintings – portrait heads, nudes, dogs and landscapes. These prints w...

Object details

Categories
Prints
Portraits
Object type
print
TitleLarge Head (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Etching on paper
Printing Ink
Paper
Etching
Brief description
Lucian Freud: Trial proof of Large Head, 1993. Etching. Printed by Marc Balakjian.
Physical description
Head and shoulders of a bald naked man facing left.
Dimensions
  • Plate height: 69.4cm
  • Plate width: 54.5cm
  • Sheet height: 79.3cm
  • Sheet width: 63.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
23A First state (in pencil; by Marc Balakjian)
Credit line
Accepted in lieu of inheritance tax by HM Government in 2019 from the collection of Marc Balakjian and allocated to the V&A
Subject depicted
Leigh Bowery
Summary
This is one of a group of 143 state, trial and cancellation proofs of etchings by Lucian Freud (1922-2011) which came from the collection of Marc Balakjian (1938-2017) of Studio Prints. Balakjian was Freud’s printer from 1985 and worked closely with him on the production of his etchings.

The V&A has three trial proofs (and one cancellation proof) of this print; two of the first state, and one of the second. The first state was bitten and proofed on 10 February 1993 and the second state was proofed on 19 March.

The sitter is Leigh Bowery.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.423-2020

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Record createdFebruary 17, 2020
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1530825/large-head-print-freud-lucian/
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