West Bund Art & Design

Widely regarded as one of the foremost figurative painters of the 20th century, Kossoff is celebrated for his deeply resonant portrayals of people and places, primarily rooted in post-war London. A central figure in the “School of London,” alongside artists like Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud, Kossoff remained dedicated to figurative representation during an era dominated by abstraction, striving to convey an inner essence beyond surface appearance.

Portraits hold a unique place within Kossoff’s oeuvre. He frequently portrayed family members and close friends in the intimacy of his studio, creating psychologically rich portraits and figure studies that reveal the intricate depths of his subjects. These works offer insight into a career marked by a profound commitment to uncovering the complexities of humanity through a style that emphasizes both the emotional weight and physical presence of his subjects.

Kossoff began his artistic training at St. Martin’s School of Art in 1943 but left in 1945 to complete three years of military service. He returned to St. Martin’s in 1949 and followed David Bomberg’s classes at Borough Polytechnic from 1950 to 1952. He then completed his training at the Royal College of Art between 1953 and 1956. Kossoff represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1995 and was the subject of a retrospective at the Tate Gallery in 1996. His work is held in major public and private collections around the world, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Tate Gallery, London.