Martin Gayford is a writer and art critic for The Spectator magazine. He sat for a portrait by Freud, an experience recounted in Man with a Blue Scarf (2010). Painter David Dawson is represented by Marlborough Fine Art, London. Freud's assistant from 1991 until his death, he was a frequent model for his paintings. Mark Holborn is an editor, designer, and writer who has worked with many leading artists over the last 30 years.

'A massive Phaidon performance.' – The Times'Comprehensive, scholarly and beautifully crafted.' – Country & Townhouse'A comprehensive look at Freud's seven decade career.' – HypebeastPraise for the 2018 two-volume edition:'Stunning ... Sure to delight those in search of a full picture of the artist's output. – Artists & Illustrators'There is a precision and grandeur about this new monograph ... that is all of a piece with Freud's modus operandi. ... Gayford draws on his own back catalogue and the established sources ... to weave a fluent text that is footnote-free and cautiously expansive. ... Freud steps forward into sharper focus than we have seen before. We see more of the methodology by which he achieved a genius-reputation approaching that of his famous grandfather, creating a new genre of self-projecting portraiture while keeping his secrets close.' – Times Literary Supplement