LONDON (AP).- Lucian Freud, a towering and uncompromising figure in the art world for more than 50 years, has died, his New York-based art dealer said Thursday. He was 88. Spokeswoman Bettina Prentice said that Freud died after an illness at his London home late Wednesday night, but didn’t give any further details. Freud was known for his intense realist portraits, particularly of nudes. In recent years his paintings commanded staggering prices at auction, including one of an overweight nude woman sleeping on a couch that sold in 2008 for $33.6 million. William R. Acquavella, his dealer, said in a statement that he would mourn Freud “as one of the great painters of the twentieth century.” “He lived to paint and painted until the day he died, far removed from the noise of the art world,” he said.