Frank Auerbach

Jake

Long Lake Estates

Frank Auerbach was born in Germany in 1931.  He is a painter who is considered one of the leading names in the School of London, with fellow artists Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. 

He is one of the most influential painters of the 20th century. Celebrated for his expressionistic portraits and cityscapes, Auerbach’s work is characterized by a rough impasto technique. He was born on April 29, 1931 in Berlin, Germany to Jewish parents and at seven years old was sent to Britain to escape Nazi persecution—his parents remaining behind, only to be killed in concentration camps before they could join their young son abroad. Auberbach went on to study at St. Martin’s School of Art in London and then at the Royal College of Art, developing his signature palette of bold colors and a distinctive, thickly applied painting style. In 1956, he received his first solo show at Beaux Arts Gallery, and by 1978, was the subject of a major retrospective at the Hayward Gallery in London. He represented Britain at the 1986 Venice Biennale, where he and his peer Sigmar Polke were jointly awarded the Gold Lion. As a popular and dedicated contemporary artist, he has several times been offered and refused knighthood.

Auerbach has used three principal models throughout his career: his wife Julia, who first posed for him in 1959; Juliet Yardley Mills ('J.Y.M.'), a professional model whom he met in 1957; and his close friend Estella (Stella) West ('E.O.W.'), the model for most of his nudes and female heads prior to 1973.

He continues to live and work in London, United Kingdom.

Articles:

Frank Auerbach: 'Painting is the most marvellous activity humans have invented'