That Sigmund Freud remains a controversial figure to this day is testament to the impact his life and work had on the modern world. But is it possible that his impact on art and artists was greater than any scientific legacy he enjoys? “It’s not just that Freud is an influence on art history and literary theory: he is an influence on art. He has had a constant resonance since the surrealist movement first claimed him as (in Freud’s puzzled words) its ‘patron saint’ in the 1920s – which means a hostile critic of Freud has to dismiss most modern art.”