The Rake’s progress: last week in gossip

Introducing Rakewell, Apollo’s wandering eye on the art world. Look out for regular posts taking a rakish perspective on art and museum stories.

Lucian Freud was no sun worshipper. Speaking at the launch of ‘All Too Human: Bacon, Freud and a Century of Painting Life’ at Tate Britain, Sue Tilley – the model for paintings including Benefits Supervisor Sleeping – revealed that Freud preferred his regular sitters to remain a whiter shade of pale. On one occasion, having cultivated an impressive tan on a holiday to India, Tilley visited the artist and found him apoplectic. ‘He was horrified at how brown I was’, Tilley recalled. ‘He didn’t use me for a year while my suntan faded.’

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Intriguing news from the Brooklyn Museum, which is to play host to the globe-bestriding ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibition next month. According to the Wall Street Journal, the museum is to offer deeper-pocketed Bowie fans with the chance to purchase a so-called ‘Aladdin Sane’ ticket retailing at a competitive $2,500. Insane or not, the special tariff will grant its holders a private tour, a bundle of exhibition merchandise and a one-year museum membership. Where’s the man who sold the world when you need him?

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A property outside Brussels that once belonged to Rubens is up for sale. Originally built as a military structure, Elewijt Castle was the artist’s home in his final years, and reportedly boasts some seven bedrooms, five reception rooms and ­– of course – a moat. Yours for a mere €4m…

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Fantasy author Terry Goodkind raised eyebrows last week after taking to Facebook to describe the cover art of his latest novel as ‘laughably bad’ – and inviting fans to join in with the mockery in order to win a free copy. But his post attracted hundreds of outraged responses, with many piling in to defend the work of illustrator Basteien Lecouffe-Deharme – who himself also chipped in to register his disappointment.

Never attack an artist in public, other artists will stand up and lash back. In this case we all stand right there behind Bastien, because we know! Bad form #TerryGoodkind pic.twitter.com/ZInUPXO4wm

— Iris Compiet (@artofeyeris) February 24, 2018

Goodkind has since apologised – but should you fancy trading creative insults, his competition is still up…

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Finally, if you’re in the market for a free work of art, Eric Fischl will be giving away posters depicting Donald Trump as a clown when his exhibition at London’s Skarstedt Gallery opens this week. ‘Clowns are sinister and anarchistic’, the American painter says by way of explanation. Quite.

Got a story for Rakewell? Get in touch at rakewell@apollomag.com or via @Rakewelltweets.