An era-defining painter and an iconic supermodel conceived one of the noughties' most celebrated pieces of art - but how did Kate Moss and Lucian Freud come to cross paths?. New biopic Moss & Freud, set to hit screens in the UK this year, will explore the unlikely bond between Kate Moss and Lucian Freud, who together curated the masterpiece in 2002. Titled Naked Portrait 2002, the distinguished artwork captured a nude, 28-year-old Kate Moss while she was pregnant with her daughter, Lila Grace, who she welcomed with now ex-boyfriend Jefferson Hack.

Sexy, true and raw, the image, which was painted by Lucian - then 80 and at the time 52 years older than Kate - showcased the model in a way she'd never been seen before. The result was groundbreaking, with the painting fetching a whopping £3.5 million at an auction years later. Lucian and Kate's time together established a one-of-a-kind friendship, and the model would later describe him as ‘the most interesting person’ she'd ever met. So fierce was their bond, prying eyes have long questioned whether they shared something more than just friendship.

The German-born painter - also famed for his modern and selfie-esque painting of The Queen in 2001 - passed away aged 88 over a decade ago. Moss & Freud, aims to explore his life and art, and focuses strongly on how the 90s superstar came to be his beloved muse. So close to her heart is the project that Kate will serve as executive producer, with British actress Ellie Bamber, 27, playing the iconic supermodel and 86-year old Emmy winner, Derek Jacobi, starring as Lucian Freud.

Brand new biopic Moss & Freud - set to hit UK cinemas in 2025 - will explore the unlikely bond between Kate Moss and celebrated British painter, Lucian Freud (Kate Moss and Lucian Freud pictured together in London in 2003). Lucian and Kate forged a close bond that lasted throughout the noughties and up until the painter's death. He left an indelible mark on the supermodel by inking a tattoo on her lower back (Pictured: Kate Moss shows off the two swallows during a holiday in Saint Tropez in 2009).

Kate's arrival on the scene in the early 90s signified a new era of models, joining the likes of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista as some of the biggest names in the industry. Meanwhile Lucian Michael Freud, born in 1922 in Berlin, Germany, was by then a renowned painter and draughtsman who specialised in figurative art; his work on human subjects such as friends, family and lovers earned him the reputation as one of the foremost 20th-century English portraitists.

Lucian moved to London with his parents Ernst and Lucie Freud in 1933 after Hitler and the Nazis rose to power in Germany. The son of Jewish architect Ernst L. Freud and the grandson of historic psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, he was known for his expressionism and attention to detail - with his art often taking extended periods to complete. His life was a stark contrast to the glittering fast-paced bubble inhabited by Moss, whose apparent brand as a size zero, hedonistic party lover couldn't afford her the time to slow down - well that is perhaps until she became pregnant with her first and only child.

Though Lucian once painted the late Queen Elizabeth - recognised by several critics as the finest royal portrait of the century - the extraordinary painter often shied away from celebrity art. His choice to decline requests from Princess Diana, Tony Blair and Madonna was perhaps the surest evidence of that - but an electric spark between him and one of the highest-grossing supermodels of all time changed that.

Moss shot to fame in her teenage years and became part of an iconic supermodel squad (pictured in 2002). Lucian and Kate's time together would establish a one-of-a-kind friendship, and the model would later describe him as ‘the most interesting person’ she'd ever met (Lucian, 81, plants a kiss on Kate's cheek in 2003). So close to her heart is the Moss & Freud project that Kate will serve as executive producer (The stunning model, now 51, at the Dior stage at Paris Fashion Week in January 2025).

Lucian's reputation as a phenomenal artist was rivalled only by his image as a seducing lothario who bedded his artistic subjects one by one. Throughout the course of his life, Lucian acknowledged 14 children by six different women - although some have estimated that he may have fathered as many as 40. His appetite for younger women was revealed in an affair with journalist Emily Bearn, who at age 27, began seeing the 79-year-old in the early 2000s.

Lucian often paid late-night visits to his younger lover at a £500,000 home in West London - that it's thought he paid for. In fact, close friend Geordie Greig once referred to him as the 'genius with 500 lovers', having allegedly been told by a former flame: 'He [Lucian] did a lot of mad chasing of women'. Speaking in the 1970s, the source added: '[He was] climbing up drainpipes and climbing in high windows of houses of women he wanted to see, hanging from balconies by his fingertips.'.