Frank Auerbach, Nude on Bed III, 1961 (estimate: £700,000 – 1,000,000)

Christie’s is honoured to present Frank Auerbach’s Nude on Bed III (1961, estimate: £700,000 – 1,000,000) as a key highlight of its Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale on 19 March 2025.  

Owned by the Hon. Moyra Campbell (1924-2024) for over six decades, the painting was last publicly exhibited in Auerbach’s retrospective at the Hayward Gallery and the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh in 1978. A woman of intellect and discerning taste, Campbell served in the top-secret Y-Service at Bletchley Park during the Second World War before leading a dynamic life in Edinburgh and London, and working for Count Robert-Jean de Vogüé, director of Moët et Chandon in France for many years.

The present work dates from Auerbach’s rise to acclaim under the visionary guidance of the London gallerist Helen Lessore, who unveiled the painting at her Beaux Arts Gallery the year after it was painted. Auerbach’s association with the gallery came about after Lessore visited an exhibition of graduate painters at the Royal College in the summer of 1955. She went on to build a strong reputation for the young artist, mounting his first solo exhibition in 1956, and annual exhibitions from 1957 through to 1964.  Purchased by Moyra Campbell at the 1962 exhibition, the present work has remained in the same collection ever since.  

Sculpted from thick swathes of impasto, Nude on Bed III emerges as a beacon of light from the deep, monochromatic tones of Auerbach’s Camden studio. Painted at the height of the School of London, the work exemplifies his distinctive approach to the female form and marks a pivotal moment in his career. During this period, his muses inspired a series of raw, powerfully intimate works that redefined figurative painting in post-war Britain. As London rebuilt itself from the ground up, a young generation of artists breathed new life into the medium. A photograph taken by John Deakin at Wheeler’s Restaurant in 1963 captures Auerbach alongside Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon - both of whom, like him, placed the reclining nude at the heart of their explorations of the human condition.

Nude on Bed III epitomises Auerbach’s ability to fuse subject and setting into a single, pulsating entity. Here, paint itself becomes a conduit for raw human presence, bearing witness to his commitment to capturing the sensibility of the human form. Within the stripped-down confines of his studio, Auerbach laboured through a painstaking process of painting, scraping away, and repainting, building dense, sculptural textures. These visceral layers lend the figure a luminous presence, as if unearthed from time itself. The hallmark monochromatic tones of his early palette allowed the female form to emerge in relief, subtly distinct from her surroundings.

Philip Harley, Senior Director, Modern British and Irish Art, Christie’s London: “ With its impeccable provenance, untouched presence on the market, and deep connection to the artist’s formative years, Nude on Bed III is poised to be a highlight of the season. Its rich impasto bears witness to the artist’s commitment to capturing the sensibility of the human form. This sale not only honours the legacy of Frank Auerbach, who died towards the end of last year, but also celebrates the remarkable life of Hon. Moyra Campbell, whose vision and passion for collecting ensured the preservation of this masterpiece for generations. As interest in Auerbach’s work further intensifies, this auction marks a defining moment for collectors and admirers of British art alike. We look forward to offering this work at auction in the upcoming Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale on 19 March.”

The Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale will take place on 20 March, featuring another work from the collection of Hon. Moyra Campbell: Mary Martin’s Diagonal Rhythm on Black, 1967.

(Press Release)