Leon Kossoff | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-12-10)10 December 1926 Islington, London, England |
| Died | 4 July 2019(2019-07-04) (aged 92) London, England |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | School of London |
Leon Kossoff (10 December 1926 – 4 July 2019) was a British figurative painter known for portraits, life drawings and cityscapes of London, England.
Kossoff was born inIslington, London, and spent most of his early life living there with hisRussian Jewish parents. In 1938, he attended theHackney Downs School in London. In 1939, he was evacuated with the school toKing's Lynn, Norfolk, where he lived with Mr and Mrs R.C. Bishop, who encouraged his interest in art. During this time, Kossoff made his first paintings. When he returned to London in 1943, Kossoff went toSaint Martin's School of Art, and studied commercial art. He also attended life drawing classes in the evenings atToynbee Hall.
He spent three years in military service withthe Royal Fusiliers, attached to the 2nd Battalion Jewish Brigade, and served in Italy, Holland, Belgium and Germany. After his military service, he returned to the Saint Martin's School of Art in 1949, and atBorough Polytechnic, took special classes underDavid Bomberg from 1950 to 1952. He was also influenced by another one of his teacher's students,Frank Auerbach. Both young artists dealt with similar emotions and subject matter in their work, and employed heavyimpasto in their paintings. Kossoff chose his subject matter mostly from the area of London where he was born. From 1950 to 1953, Kossoff's studio was located atMornington Crescent; he then moved toBethnal Green, where he lived until 1961. Kossoff studied at theRoyal College of Art from 1953 to 1956.
In 1956, Kossoff joined Helen Lessore'sBeaux Arts Gallery, located on Bruton Place in London. In 1959, Kossoff began to teach at theRegent Street Polytechnic, theChelsea School of Art, and the Saint Martin's School of Art, all in London. While teaching, he continued his artistic career, and soon started featuring in galleries and shows, along with his friend Frank Auerbach and other artists such asFrancis Bacon,Lucian Freud andKeith Critchlow, a school friend from Saint Martin's. During this time, Kossoff moved his studio toWillesden Junction, and in 1966, moved his studio toWillesden Green.
In 1995, Kossoff exhibited his artworks at the46th Venice Biennale and in 1996 was the subject of aTate Gallery retrospective.[1] In 2007, London'sNational Gallery held an exhibition of Kossoff's work entitled "Leon Kossoff: Drawing from Painting".[2] Kossoff declined appointment as aCommander of the Order of the British Empire.[3] In 2010, Kossoff exhibited a travelling show of new paintings and drawings, beginning at Annely Juda Fine Art, London, then travelling to Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York, and ending atL.A. Louver, Los Angeles.[4] In 2013–14, Kossoff's urban landscapes were shown in a travelling international exhibition, titled "Leon Kossoff: London Landscapes".[5] Kossoff died at the age of 92 on 4 July 2019 from complications of a stroke.[6][7] In 2023,Hastings Contemporary, organised a two-person exhibition with the work of Chaim Soutine and Leon Kossoff. In 2024, Kossoff's work was the subject of an exhibition entitled 'Close Encounters: Paintings and Drawings' atXavier Hufkens.
