Arnold Abraham Goodman, Baron Goodman
- Artist: Lucian Freud
- Date: 1985
- Medium: charcoal
- Dimensions: 13 in. x 10 1/2 in. (330 mm x 267 mm)
- Portrays: Arnold Abraham Goodman, Baron Goodman
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
Before you is a charcoal drawing by Lucian Freud, made in 1985. Its small size – just over 13 inches wide and 10½ inches tall – makes the work feel intimate.
You can see Arnold Abraham Goodman, Baron Goodman, with his head turned slightly left; Freud chose a low angle that highlights the sitter’s full face. Freud worked in the early morning, drawing while the paper lay on an easel, and he captured Goodman's relaxed pose with a subtle sketch of the back of the head.
The charcoal strokes give texture to the roundness of Goodman's face, and a gentle shading makes this portrait feel alive.
See it in person
Arnold Abraham Goodman, Baron Goodman is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
