Frank Auerbach  (British, 1931) 

Frank Auerbach (British/German, b.1931) is a figurative British painter of German birth, known for his portraits of females and expressionistic English cityscapes. Born in Berlin to Jewish parents, Auerbach was sent to England in 1939 to escape Nazism, where he attended a boarding school in Kent for Jewish refugees. Auerbach’s parents were unable to flee Germany, and were both killed in concentration camps. After the war, Auerbach studied at St. Martin’s School of Art in London and then at the Royal College of Art, where he developed a unique style using bold colors and roughly applied impasto. Auerbach consistently uses three models in his works: Julia, his wife; Juliet Yardley Mills, a professional model; and Stella West, his close friend. Although offered the honor of knighthood on several occasions, he has refused to accept, maintaining his reputation as an unpretentious, though aloof artist. Auerbach continues to live and work in London.