Emily Bearn ('Portrait Head')
- Artist: Lucian Freud
- Date: 2001
- Medium: etching
- Dimensions: 28 3/8 in. x 22 1/2 in. (722 mm x 572 mm) overall
- Portrays: Emily Bearn
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
Here you see an etching titled “Emily Bearn (Portrait Head)” by Lucian Freud, finished in 2001. The copper plate shows the journalist’s head with clean lines and subtle shading that give depth to her face. Notice how the ink follows every line of her features—eye, mouth, hair—creating a precise likeness. Lucian Freud made many portrait plates; this one is one of eight where Emily Bearn posed. It sits at about 28 by 22 inches, allowing us to read her expression up close.
See it in person
Emily Bearn ('Portrait Head') is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
