Freud is one of our most famous living artists and very exacting about which of his work is released. “Lucian has put his foot through at least half of his paintings. There comes a point, and it may be months into a painting, when he has to make a crucial decision between options on the canvas. He will hazard the success of a nearly finished painting, possibly worth millions, on one decision that can’t be undone. If he realises that he’s made the wrong choice, he’ll slash it, destroy it.”