The Face Behind a $45 Million Masterpiece

‘Sue Tilley, the 60-something retired benefits supervisor and subject of British artist Lucian Freud’s monumental painting “Sleeping by the Lion Carpet” (1996), has traveled from her home on the south coast of England to see the work before it heads to auction next month. The portrait is estimated to fetch between £25-35 million ($33-45M) at the Lewis Collection sale on June 24. But how does it feel to have your body up for auction for tens millions of dollars? We asked her.