On December 8, 1985 Lucian Freud celebrates his 63th birthday and shares his most recent self portrait Reflection. Between 1939 and 2003 he consistently portrayed himself and said ”The way you paint yourself you've got to try and paint yourself as another person. Looking in the mirror is a strain in a way that looking at other people isn't at all.’

David Hockney an admirer of Freud’s work will pose for the artist in 2002. They had the project for a while but had to find a moment when Hockney would be in England long enough. Hockney enjoyed seeing Freud working and chatting with him. Later he tried to acquire the portrait Freud made of him.

The art critic William Feaver was a close friend of the artist since the 70s. He later declared “His work (...) does not reproduce very well and that is often true of the work of a really great artist. However, when you actually see one of his paintings in front of you the impact is extraordinary. And that impact is him.”

The artist Sue Tilley will be Freud’s model in the 90, appearing in several of his most famous nudes.

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Sources: William Feaver, Lucian Freud: friend, good cook and man of very rude letters, The Guardian, July 23, 2011

Fiachra Gibbons, First view of Freud's portrait of Hockney, The Guardian,  Jan 16, 2003

Sothebys, Auction catalogue, February 10, 2010