Sue Tilley reflects on Leigh Bowery's transformative impact on Lucian Freud's work, especially in their collaboration on the celebrated nude painting "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping." Bowery, a fashion icon and performance artist, guided Tilley during her modeling for Freud's artworks, demonstrating their deep friendship and creative collaboration. Tilley's upcoming book edition highlights Bowery's legacy with new insights and photographs, emphasizing the profound connection between Bowery's eccentric persona and Freud’s artistic mastery over the human form.
"You can't really understand Bowery - his looks, his performances, his club Taboo, his band Minty - without thinking about Freud. The artist's naked paintings of Bowery and Tilley are today's equivalents of the great nudes of the western artistic canon."
"Leigh liked to sort people's lives out... He didn't like me working in the jobcentre and thought it would be nice for me to do something different."
"Leigh was not so much a muse as a collaborator, guiding the older man into preserving him and his friends on canvas."
"Leigh told me what to wear and I completely ignored him as usual! So we had lunch at the River Cafe. It was very nice."
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