Lucian Freud’s large‑scale nude of former benefits supervisor Sue Tilley is slated to leave private hands for the first time at Sotheby’s June auction of The Lewis Collection. The work, titled *Sleeping by the Lion Carpet* and painted between 1995 and 1996, carries an estimated hammer price of £25‑£35 million, according to the auction house.

£35 million price tag follows record‑breaking 1995 sale

The projected £35 million ceiling echoes the historic 1995 auction of Freud’s *Benefits Supervisor Resting*, which fetched £35 .9 million and set a benchmark for living artists at the time. Sotheby’s notes that the new sale could again rewrite the market ceiling for post‑war figurative painting.

Sue Tilley’s journey from Charing Cross Job Centre to art‑world fame

At the time of her first sitting in 1990, Tilley worked full‑time as a benefits supervisor at the Charing Cross Job Centre and moonlighted as a nightclub cashier. She first met Freud through the late performance artist Leigh Bowery, a mutual friend who also appeared in several of Freud’s early 1990s canvases. In a Press Association interview, Tilley said she hoped the auction would prove “big girls can do well,” emphasizing body‑positivity and representation.

Freud’s demanding process: cold floors,year‑long gaps, and naturalism

According to Tilley, the inaugural session was “physically agonising” because she had to lie naked on cold, draughty studio floorboards. Freud reportedly refused to paint her again for a year after she returned from holiday with a tan, insisting on a completely natural appearance without makeup or dyed hair. The artist’s meticulous focus on authentic light and anatomy is evident in the pianting’s exaggerated feet and hands , which he described as “perspective from your eyes.”

Unanswered question: Will the painting break the £40 million barrier?

While Sotheby’s has set a top estimate of £35 million, the final hammer could exceed that figure,especially given recent spikes in demand for late‑career works by celebrated British painters. no definitive forecast has been offered, leaving collectors and analysts to speculate on whether this piece will become the first Freud to surpass the £40 million mark.

Exhibition preview: June 10‑23 at Sotheby’s The Lewis Collection

The portrait will be displayed alongside works by Gustav Klimt, Amedeo Modigliani and Henri Matisse as part of The Lewis Collection exhibition.. Curators describe *Sleeping by the Lion Carpet* as Freud’s “defining masterpiece” and the most ambitious of the four monumental canvases he painted of Tilley between 1993 and 1996 .

As the painting prepares for public viewing, Tilley, now 62, reflects on her experience with Freud, noting that his relentless observation of “humans as they are” gave her a sense of lasting visibility. she also disclosed a personal health battle, revealing a past breast‑cancer diagnosis and subsequent mastectomy.

According to the auction house, this will be the first time the work appears at auction after being acquired directly from Freud at the time of its creation, adding a layer of provenance that could further entice bidders.