Lucian Freud's monumental painting *Sleeping by the Lion Carpet* (1995–96) is heading to auction this June at Sotheby's London with an estimate of £25–35 million. The work, depicting benefits supervisor Sue Tilley, has been held in the Lewis Collection since 1996 and has never before appeared on the open market. It is the final and most ambitious of Freud's quartet of portraits of Tilley, following the record-breaking sale of *Benefits Supervisor Resting* for $56.2 million in 2015.
The auction represents a historic moment for the contemporary art market, as the painting is widely considered Freud's magnum opus and a landmark of late 20th-century figurative painting. Its emergence offers collectors a rare opportunity to acquire a masterpiece that has been hidden from public view for nearly three decades. The sale is expected to redefine valuations for Freud's work and underscore the enduring power of unflinching portraiture in the art world.