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What Dealers Do: Acquavella Edition

March 25, 2011 by Marion Maneker

The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ magazine has this compelling vignette from its story on the relationship between Lucian Freud and William Acquavella:

A friend told me Lucian Freud wanted to have lunch with me when I came to London. I told a few friends. They said, “Oh, he’s doing these male nudes now, he’s difficult, it’s going to be tough.” So I go to lunch, thinking, how am I going to get out of this? And he says, “Will you come back to the studio?” He starts pulling out these pictures of Leigh Bowery. They were unbelievable. So I bought them all and made a deal that I would represent him world-wide. He said fine, we shook hands and that was the end of it.

When I took him on, he said to me, “I’ve got a bookie—and I’ve got a bill with him.” I figured, let me talk to him, I’ll pay it. So I have dinner with him—Alfie McLean, one of the largest bookmakers in Northern Ireland—and I said, “Alfie, what does he owe you?” He says, “2.7 million pounds.” I said, “OK, thanks [laughing].” We had to work this out.

The Master and the Gallerist (Wall Street Journal)

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  • Acquavella’s Greatest HitsAcquavella’s Greatest Hits
  • Freud Leads Sotheby’s Frieze SaleFreud Leads Sotheby’s Frieze Sale
  • Christie's Summer of FreudChristie's Summer of Freud
  • How Good Were the Sculls?How Good Were the Sculls?

Filed Under: Dealers Tagged With: Acquavella, Lucian Freud

About Marion Maneker

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