Head of Ali

Name: Ambition Creative Ltd.
Price range: $

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The trust built up between Freud and his printer, Marc Balakjian, brought with it a new-found sense of adventure, which can be seen in a rather extreme way in the 1999 work Head of Ali. The etching plate was left in the boot of Freud’s car for weeks on end, acquiring many scratches and marks from the sliding about and the placing upon it of countless bags. Upon conference between Freud and Balakjian, most of the marks on the plate were left to print. Many of Freud’s etchings have scratches printed in the background, such as in Portrait Head of 2001, but this is the first time that some scratches actually cross the face. The realisation that these scratches do not interfere with the reading of the subject marks a moment of bravery and confidence in modern printmaking that has little comparison.