Supermodel Kate Moss and painter Lucian Freud are the subjects of a new biographical drama, set to premiere in the United Kingdom on May 29th. Moss & Freud stars Ellie Bamber as Moss and Derek Jacobi as Freud, and is directed by James Lucas. The film first appeared at the London International Film Festival last October.
Moss & Freud focuses on a period beginning in 2001, when Moss sat for Freud. During an interview with Dazed & Confused magazine, Moss mentioned it was her dream to sit for the artist. Freud, uncharacteristically, agreed to the proposal. What was expected to be a short engagement extended into a prolonged series of sittings, governed by Freud’s strict routines and expectations.
Details from the film’s synopsis indicate that the sessions unfold as a professional and personal exchange between the famous Brits. Moss, who was pregnant at the time, later recalled Freud’s strict working methods, stating in an interview: “He taught me discipline.” The sitting lasted nine months. During that time, Freud tattooed two birds on Moss’s back.
Freud completed the final painting, officially titled Naked Portrait, in 2002. It features a pregnant Moss reclining naked on a bed. Despite mostly negative feelings from the artist and Moss, the work was received positively within the art world and later sold at auction in 2005 for £3.93 million ($7.29 million) at Christie’s.
Shortly before Freud painted Moss, the artist tapped model Jerry Hall to sit for a painting. Eight Months Gone (2007), created while Hall was pregnant, sold at Sotheby’s for £601,250 ($962,000) in 2010.
