Britain's National Portrait Gallery launched a major show of the late figurative painter Lucian Freud's work Wednesday, showcasing the fleshy portraits which made him one of the world's most revered artists in his lifetime.

The grandson of Sigmund Freud died last July at the age of 88 while collaborating with the gallery on the show of 130 works of art, which includes his unfinished Portrait of the Hound, the auction record-smashing Benefits Supervisor Sleeping and some moving paintings of his dying mother.

"Lucian Freud Portraits" documents the evolution of Freud's painting methods over seven decades from flat to highly textured and highlights his use of color, light and detail in an effort to capture the core personalities of his subjects, many of whom were friends or lovers.

"Freud's portraits are the realization in paint of a relationship between artist and model that has slowly developed over time behind closed doors," National Portrait Gallery curator Sarah Howgate said in a statement.

Gallery officials stressed that the show, sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, was not a mournful retrospective, but a celebration of his work and changing styles.

"Although many of his subjects have led complex lives, most of them, with the exception of a few public figures, prefer to hold on to their anonymity. Lucian Freud is a life represented in paint rather than a biographical retrospective," Howgate said.

The show is part of a countdown of events celebrating British culture in the lead-up to the London Olympics this summer and will be kicked off by a visit from British Prince William's wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, later Wednesday.

Reuters