Naked Portrait

by Rose Boyt
Naked Portrait cover
Good Books rating 3.62
Biography and Memoir
Technical:
  • ID: 283
  • Added: 2025-09-07
  • Updated: 2025-09-18
  • ISBN: 9781035024933
  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan
  • Published: 2024-05-30
  • Formats: 20
  • Reviews: 4
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Waterstones
Paperback • £12.99 Hardback • £22.00

In Naked Portrait, Rose Boyt offers a deeply personal and illuminating memoir centered on her relationship with her father, Lucian Freud, one of the most renowned British painters of the 20th century. Drawing on a diary she kept while sitting for him, which she discovered five years after his death, Boyt reveals not only the artistic genius of Freud but also the emotional complexity and vulnerability behind their interactions. The book blends intimate family history with the raw honesty of a young woman navigating love, loss, and identity. Beyond the father-daughter dynamic, the memoir vividly portrays coming of age in 1980s London, marked by grief, challenging relationships, and self-discovery. Boyt’s writing captures the contradictions of growing up with a famous and mercurial father, offering compassion for both herself and Freud. The narrative also provides insight into the social milieu surrounding Freud, including the bohemian and party scene of the time, making it a rich, evocative account of life beyond the shadows of a great man.

Reviews
literaryreview.co.uk · Unknown · 2025-09-18
harrowing 3.50

Rose Boyt's memoir, Naked Portrait, recounts her harrowing experience of posing nude for her father, Lucian Freud, over many nights. She describes the grueling process and her shock at the final painting, which she found unflattering and unrecognizable. The book offers a raw and unfiltered look at the artist's demanding process and the personal toll it took on his subjects.

Rose Boyt's Naked Portrait is a candid and unsettling account of her time as a model for her father, the renowned artist Lucian Freud. The book details the grueling sessions where she posed nude, often under the influence of drugs provided by Freud to keep her awake. Boyt's descriptions of the process are vivid and unflinching, highlighting the physical and emotional strain of sitting for such a demanding artist. The revelation of the final painting, which she found unflattering and unrecognizable, adds a layer of personal betrayal to the narrative. This memoir offers a unique perspective on the artist's work and the personal cost of his pursuit of perfection. While the book is compelling, it also raises questions about the ethics of artistic creation and the relationship between artist and subject.

Quick quotes

    The ordeal of sitting for my father Lucian Freud

    I found the painting unflattering and unrecognizable

    The book offers a raw and unfiltered look at the artist's demanding process

the-tls.com · Unknown · 2025-09-18
insightful 3.50

Hettie Judah provides an insightful and balanced review of Rose Boyt's memoir about her relationship with Lucian Freud. While acknowledging the book's strengths, Judah also notes its limitations, particularly in its lack of depth in certain areas.

Hettie Judah's review of Rose Boyt's memoir, 'Naked Portrait,' offers a nuanced perspective on the book's exploration of Boyt's relationship with the renowned artist Lucian Freud. Judah praises the memoir for its candid and intimate portrayal of their complex relationship, highlighting Boyt's unique insights into Freud's character and artistic process. However, Judah also points out that the book sometimes struggles to delve deeply into certain aspects of their relationship, leaving some questions unanswered. Overall, Judah finds the memoir to be a compelling read that provides valuable insights into the life and work of one of the 20th century's most influential artists. They appreciate Boyt's honesty and the raw emotions she shares, but they also feel that the book could have benefited from a more thorough exploration of certain themes.

Quick quotes

    Rose Boyt's memoir is a candid and intimate portrait of her relationship with Lucian Freud.

    Judah notes that the book sometimes struggles to delve deeply into certain aspects of their relationship.

    The memoir provides valuable insights into the life and work of one of the 20th century's most influential artists.

spectator.co.uk · Unknown · 2024-06-08
disturbing 3.50

Rose Boyt's memoir, Naked Portrait, reveals a complex and often cruel relationship with her father, Lucian Freud. The reviewer finds the book's early surrealist sections compelling but struggles with the later diary entries, which lack context and feel disjointed.

Rose Boyt's memoir, Naked Portrait, offers a raw and unflinching look at her tumultuous relationship with her father, the renowned artist Lucian Freud. The reviewer appreciates the vivid and often disturbing details of Boyt's upbringing, which is marked by her father's controlling and manipulative behavior. The first part of the book is particularly striking, filled with surreal and bizarre anecdotes that paint a picture of a chaotic and unsettling childhood. However, the reviewer finds the latter part of the book, which consists of unedited diary entries, less engaging. Without sufficient context or character development, these entries feel fragmented and difficult to connect with emotionally. Despite this, the reviewer acknowledges Boyt's resilience and her eventual healing, which she attributes to taking on the role of her father's executrix and finding validation through traditional values.

Quick quotes

    The performance artist Leigh Bowery, a favourite model, gets new electric teeth (electric teeth?) necessitating a cheek piercing to accommodate the wiring.

    Lucian’s only serious rival in control of Rose is her psychotherapist. Can he really be called Bridges? Such an obvious name if you think about it.

    Rose is conditioned beyond judgement or outrage by the utterly banal cruelty of the everyday exchanges, and by her shame at her complicity by default in acquiescence, “as though I had been hypnotised”.

theguardian.com · Unknown · 2024-05-12
insightful 4.00

Frances Spalding's review of 'Naked Portrait' delves into the intimate and unflinching portrayal of Lucian Freud by his daughter, Rose Boyt. The book offers a raw and personal perspective on the artist's life and work, providing a unique insight into his complex character.

Frances Spalding's review of 'Naked Portrait' by Rose Boyt is a compelling exploration of the artist Lucian Freud through the eyes of his daughter. The book is praised for its candid and unfiltered look at Freud's life, capturing his intensity and the profound impact he had on those around him. Spalding highlights how Boyt's personal experiences add depth to the narrative, making it a poignant and revealing read. The reviewer appreciates the book's ability to humanize Freud, showing both his brilliance and his flaws. However, Spalding notes that the book's focus on personal anecdotes sometimes overshadows a broader analysis of Freud's artistic contributions.

Quick quotes

    Rose Boyt's account is a raw and unflinching portrayal of her father's life.

    The book offers a unique perspective that is both intimate and revealing.

    Spalding praises Boyt's ability to capture the essence of Lucian Freud's complex character.

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