Frank Auerbach: British-German painter dies aged 93
Frank Auerbach, Nazi Survivor And Artist, Dies At 93
Photo credit: David Dawson
Frank Auerbach, the British-German artist who escaped Nazi Germany as a young boy, has passed away at the age of 93, according to his representatives.
Regarded as one of the top artists of his time, Auerbach passed away quietly at his residence in London on Monday morning.
Geoffrey Parton, who leads Frankie Rossi Art Projects, expressed: "We have lost a cherished friend and an extraordinary artist, but we find solace in the knowledge that his impact will be felt for many years ahead."
Auerbach enjoyed a highly regarded career that lasted seventy years, with his artwork featured in prestigious galleries globally.
Frank Auerbach is shown busy in his studio.
Auerbach was born in Berlin in 1931 and moved to England eight years later. He arrived in London as a refugee from Nazi Germany, one of six siblings supported by the author Iris Origo.
Between 1948 and 1955, he attended St Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London.
Frankie Rossi Art Projects mentioned that Auerbach had been residing and creating in the same studio in north London since 1954, dedicating himself to his artwork nearly every day of the year, taking only one day off.
His initial major exhibition took place at the Hayward Gallery in London in 1978, and in 1986, Auerbach received the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Biennale.
Earlier this year, his artwork was showcased in an exhibition titled The Charcoal Heads at the Courtauld Gallery in the capital.
Auerbach was recognized for his portraits and also for his depictions of street life in Camden, the north London area where he lived.
Source of image: Getty Images
Source of the image: Getty Images
Auberbach's portrait of Gerda Boehm, created in 1965, was sold at auction by Sotheby's in 2016 as a section of David Bowie's art collection.
In its tribute, the Telegraph described him as "an artist of extraordinary passion, whose application of heavy paint lent a sculptural feel to his pieces."
All of his artwork captured an abstract version of reality, showcasing the artist's energy through wide, bold strokes of paint, frequently applied directly from the tubes.
Auerbach was among several important artists after the war, including Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, and Lucian Freud.
He once figured that 95% of his paint was thrown away, and shared with the Guardian, “I’m looking for a fresh way to convey my ideas... So I experiment with all sorts of approaches until I discover something unexpected that I hadn’t thought of before.”
The artist is survived by his son, Jacob Auerbach.
