“I don’t accept the information that I get when I look at myself, that’s where the trouble starts.” -Lucian Freud

The celebrated painter Lucian Freud is known for closely observed portraits that capture the physical toll of time on his sitters—and no one came under greater scrutiny than the artist himself in the dozens of self-portraits he created throughout his life. This penetrating film looks at the man and his work through nearly seven decades of self-portraits, all assembled for an exhibition last year at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. Colorful, razor-sharp comments from Freud himself are interspersed between interviews with his subjects, friends, and art experts, as well as rare access to his early works and painting studio, preserved as it was when he died in 2011. The result is an engrossing exploration of the artist’s practice and his unique insights into aging and self-representation.

FROM EXHIBITION ON SCREEN