Love Lucian: The Letters of Lucian Freud 1939¿1954 ¿ A Times Best Art Book of 2022

A Times Best Art Book of 2022Reproductions of the young Lucian Freud¿s letters alongside insightful context and commentary reveal the foundations of the artist¿s personality and creative practice. The young Lucian Freud was described by his friend Stephen Spender as `totally alive, like something not entirely human, a leprechaun, a changeling child, or, if there is a male opposite, a witch.¿ All that magnetism and brilliance is displayed in the letters assembled here. Ranging from schoolboy messages to his parents, through letters and carefully-chosen, often embellished postcards to friends, lovers and confidants, to correspondence with patrons and associates. They are peppered with wit, affection and irreverence. Alongside rarely seen photographs and Freud¿s extraordinary works, each chapter charts Freud¿s evolving art alongside intimate accounts of his life. We trace Freud¿s early friendships with Stephen Spender, John Craxton, his wild days at art school in East Anglia, and a stint