Sue Tilley
Photo by Laura Kelly.
In 2008, Lucian Freud’s Benefits Supervisor Sleeping broke a world record for the most expensive painting sold by a living artist, auctioned off at the staggering price of $33.6 million dollars. While this sale turned Freud into a household name, the woman featured in Freud’s painting was left with nothing, not even an invite to attend the record-breaking sale of her portrait. Although her forceful presence is the driving force behind the work’s status as masterpiece, Freud’s model has been unjustly overlooked and under-appreciated as an integral part of what makes Benefits Supervisor Sleeping so remarkable.
Listen to ArtMuse’s episode on Sue Tilley, the benefits supervisor fast asleep in Freud’s portrait, and give her her rightful dues in our appreciation of Freud’s famed work. The time is far overdue for Sue’s riveting life story to be shared, and for us to be lucky enough to experience a small fraction of the magic that is Sue Tilley.
Be sure to listen to our bonus episode of ArtMuse’s official interview with Sue Tilley, so that you can hear from the wonderful Sue Tilley herself.
This episode is produced by Kula Production Company.
Listen to ArtMuse’s episode and bonus episode on Sue Tilley
REFERENCES
Millington, Ruth. “Sue Tilley.” Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures behind Art History’s Masterpieces, Pegasus Books, New York, 2022.
FURTHER REFERENCES
IMAGES
Lucian Freud, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, oil on canvas, 1995.
Taboo nightclub, Leigh Bowery at the center.
Kentish Town in 1986.
Kinky Gerlinky nightclub in 1990.
Boy George in the 1980’s.
Leigh Bowery with Freud’s portrait of him in the background.
Lucian Freud, Evening in the Studio, oil on canvas, 1993.
Lucian Freud, Benefits Supervisor Resting, oil on canvas, 1994.
Sue Tilley in front of Lucian Freud, Sleeping by the Lion Carpet, oil on canvas, 1996.
Leigh Bowery: The Life and Times of an Icon by Sue Tilley, published in 1997.
Fendi’s collection of goods decorated with Sue Tilley’s illustrations of everyday objects.
Self-Portrait by Sue Tilley.
Sue Tilley, The Benefit Supervisor Has Woken Up, painted image on a plate for charity.
Sue in her colorful apartment in Hastings, Photograph: James Balston/The Observer.
Boy George’s Taboo, originally released in 2002.
