Tributes As Artist Lucian Freud Dies Aged 88

Tributes have been paid to British artist Lucian Freud, who died at the age of 88.

The painter , a towering figure in the art world for more than 50 years, died at his home in London after an illness.

New York-based art dealer William Acquavella said he would mourn Freud "as one of the great painters of the 20th century".

Mr Acquavella added: "He lived to paint and painted until the day he died, far removed from the noise of the art world."

Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate, said: "The vitality of his nudes, the intensity of the still life paintings and the presence of his portraits of family and friends guarantee Lucian Freud a unique place in the pantheon of late 20th century art."

His works have been displayed at some of the world's most prestigious galleries, and some have recently fetched millions of pounds at auction.

Last month, a portrait entitled Woman Smiling, 1958-59, went under the hammer for more than £4.7m.

Another work, Boy On A Sofa, fetched just under £1.5m.

And a self-portrait of the artist nursing a black eye after a punch-up with a taxi driver sold for more than £2.8m last year.

The artist had discussed his habit of getting into scrapes, saying: "I used to have a lot of fights.

"It wasn't because I liked fighting, it was really just that people said things to me to which I felt the only reply was to hit them."

He has also created a portrait of the Queen - completed in his characteristically uncompromising and unflattering style, with some commentators describing the Monarch's expression as "glum".

Freud was a member of the Order of Merit - one of Britain's most prestigious chivalry honours, whose other members include naturalist Sir David Attenborough and inventor of the worldwide web Sir Timothy Berners-Lee.

Former Observer art critic William Feaver, who knew Freud for more than 40 years, said: "He was one of the greatest painters of the 20th and, indeed, the 21st centuries.

"Someone who restored portraiture to its proper place, not just successful businessmen and their wives, but all types of people."

Art critic and presenter Tim Marlow, who had met the artist on a number of occasions, said Mr Freud was a "very special man".

"He looked at the world as if he was painting it, but when you saw his paintings you saw how he really saw at it," he said.

Freud was the grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and the brother of broadcaster and former MP Sir Clement Freud.