Lucian Freud's nude portrait of a voluptuous JobCentre manager has become the most expensive work by a living artist to be sold at auction.
The 85-year-old's 1995 painting Benefits Supervisor Sleeping sold for £17.25 million at Christie's post-war and contemporary art sale in New York last night.
The painting of Sue Tilley - who became Freud's muse after they met in a Soho nightclub - was purchased by an anonymous buyer.
The 1995 Freud painting depicts rotund London benefits supervisor Ms Tilley, now 51, sleeping on a dilapidated sofa.
Today Ms Tilley, who lives in Camden and still works at the JobCentre, said she was flattered that her body had made the artist so much money.
"I posed for four paintings which have sold for record amounts," she said.
"My body must be worth around $100 million but sadly I haven't seen a penny of it. More...
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