Jewish painter Frank Auerbach, one of the most significant figurative artists of the past century, died on Monday. He was 93. "Frank Auerbach, one of the greatest painters of our time, died peacefully in the early hours of Monday, November 11, at his London home," said Geoffrey Parton, director of the artist's gallery.
"We have lost a dear friend and an extraordinary artist, but we take comfort in knowing his voice will resonate for generations." Auerbach was born in Berlin, Germany in 1931, and his life was saved during World War II through the Kindertransport program, which rescued Jewish children from Nazi Germany. His father, a patent agent specializing in engineering, and his mother, an aspiring painter, were both killed at Auschwitz.
3 View gallery Frank Auerbach ( Photo: Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images ) He studied at Bunce Court School in Kent, a boarding school for Jewish children, where his talent in art and theater became apparent. In 1947, he was granted British citizenship, and a year later, he began formal art studies in London. During this period, he acted in the debut play of Peter Ustinov, but painting soon became his true calling, and he went on to study at the Royal College of Art.
Over a career spanning seven decades, the German-British artist became renowned for his portraits and urban landscapes of Camden in North London, where he kept his studio for 50 years. He developed a distinctive technique, repeatedly scraping away layers of paint from v.
