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20 century collection

Introduction
'Madame Hessel on the sofa'
'Bathers, Dieppe'
'Echo and Narcissus'
'Vespers'
'Blackberry Gathering'
'Bust of Alfred Wolmark'
'Under the Hammer'
'Mrs Mounter'
'Hazel in Rose and Gold'
'The Fever Van'
'Landscape of the Moon's last phase'
'The Liverpool Cityscape'
'Interior at Paddington'
'Creation and Crucifixion'
'Baby in pram in garden'
'Three Self Portraits with a White Wall'
'Falling warrior'
'Primordial Image'
'Hamburg Painting No. 2'
'March 1963'
'Hermaphrodite'
'Pin Up 1963 - For Francis Bacon'
'Yellow, Blue and Violet'
'Gespenstische Gestalt'
'Alesso 'B''
'Peter getting out of Nick's pool'
'Meat Painting II - In Memoriam Rene Magritte'
'Louis XV Rigaud'
'Still life: Autumn fashion'
'Broken Bride 13.6.82'
'Cow Mutations'
'Pall: Ixion'
'Landscape'
'Handles'
'Blotter'
'Double-Tongued Knowability'
'Harmony in Green'
'Willendorf Venus'
'Exposed Painting: Cadmium Orange on White'
'English Family China'
'Mirage'
'Super Star...'

'Interior at Paddington', Lucian Freud, 1951

A standing man looks small in comparison to bold depiction of a spiky, potted palm tree in the foreground. His bare flat has a view to the buildings opposite though a window which casts shadows into the room.

Oil on canvas, 152.4 x 114.3cm

Accession Number WAG3134

The model, Harry Diamond, was a friend of the artist. He spent six months posing for the picture.

Freud creates a mood of depression and neglect. His unrelenting scrutiny and the loitering figure outside add to the sense of unease. Freud has said 'the task of the artist is to make the human being uncomfortable.'

An extended study of 'Interior at Paddington' is also available online as part of our Artwork of the Month series.