Frank
Auerbach

Frank Helmut Auerbach (Frank Helmut Auerbach; born April 29, 1931, Berlin, Weimar Republic) - British artist of German origin, a brilliant representative of the London avant-garde, the "London School".

In 1939, Frank's parents — German Jews Max and Charlotte Auerbach — sent an 8-year-old son from Berlin to England. They died in a concentration camp three years later.

Frank received British citizenship. At 17, he played in theater productions (including Peter Ustinov himself) and linked his future with the acting profession. However, his acting career ended quickly - soon Frank met the actress Estella West, who convinced him to become an artist. In turn, Estella became the muse and Auerbach's favorite model - the portraits entitled by her initials EOW he wrote about 70.
He studied painting at the Royal College of Art, in addition, attended the class of David Bomberg - another representative of the "London School".

His manner of applying paint so thickly that painting, at times, turned into a sculpture, was subjected to fierce criticism for a long time. Auerbach barely made ends meet, giving private lessons and making picture frames. The restrained palette of his early works is not due to any particular authorial predilection for black and brown tones - he simply had no money to paint.

Great success came to him only in the 86th: for the design of the British Pavilion, Auerbach was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale.

From the publication "London School", author - Andrey Zimoglyadov