Frank Auerbach: Portraits of London

Overview

‘I’ve been wandering around these streets for so long that I have become attached to them, and as fond of them as people become fond of their pets. This part of London is my world. I used to travel further for my subjects, to the cinema up the road, to Euston Station and to St Pancras Station. And forty years ago I worked from building sites at St Paul’s, in Victoria Street and Oxford Street. But in those days I would work from five or six drawings, and now I get through two hundred sketches for a painting. I am more dependent on my subject. Essentially I hope to record something hitherto unrecorded.’

- Frank Auerbach, 1998

Offer Waterman | Francis Outred are pleased to present Frank Auerbach: Portraits of London, the first survey dedicated to the artist’s London landscapes which will unite a carefully selected group of paintings from his seven-decade career.

With the support of the artist and loans from major museums and private collections, the exhibition will present a cohesive and singular insight into Auerbach’s London, capturing the artist’s evolving perspective of the city. The paintings will trace the evolution of London as it recovers from war, regenerates and flourishes into a major metropolis at the turn of the 21st century. It will explore the urban bustle of Oxford Street, St Pancras and Euston to the sweeping panoramas of Primrose Hill, Hampstead Heath and Regent’s Park; as well as the familiar neighbourhood motifs in the vicinity of the artist’s studio around Mornington Crescent and Camden Town. The notion of the city evolving over the decades is mirrored by a parallel shift in colour, texture and form within Auerbach’s painting as he observes the changing city.

Portraits of London will follow the arc of the artist’s career from the enigmatic, densely impastoed, earth-toned building sites of the 1950s, through the vibrant, linear landscapes of the 1960s, to the more fluid and exuberant works of the past 30 years. By showcasing artworks depicting these locations across the decades, visitors will witness Auerbach’s evolving painting style and technique, offering a unique perspective on his artistic journey.

Frank Auerbach: Portraits of London is a collaborative project between Offer Waterman | Francis Outred

Address:

17 St George St, London W1S 1FJ

Exhibition opening times:
4 October – 7 December 2024
Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 5pm

Selected online coverage of the show

THE TELEGRAPH (1 October 2024)

WORLD OF INTERIORS (8 October 2024)

THE LONDON MAGAZINE (15 October 2024)

WALL STREET JOURNAL (19 October 2024)

Press Enquiries

Please contact Fiona Russell at Rees & Co:

fiona.russell@reesandco.com +44 (0)20 3137 8776