Leon Kossoff  (British, 1926) 

School of London painter Leon Kossoff (British, b.1926) has maintained the principles of Expressionism he first practiced with David Bomberg (British, 1890-1957), yet has evolved his own personal style over his career. Born in 1926 in Islington, London, Kossoff is known for his expressive portraits and London landscapes. His paintings begin as drawings, and he works rather quickly—completing works within a day. Upon finishing a painting, Kossoff takes some time for contemplation. He keeps new paintings in a small room in his home amongst other older works for up to a few weeks, but before the paint dries completely he decides whether to keep a work or scrape the paint off and start a new painting. Christchurch Spitalfields, Summer (1990)—included in the 1995 Venice Biennale—is exemplary of Kossoff’s atmospheric painterly renderings of London. As for his portraiture, Mother Asleep (1963) is a devastating image of a loved one whose body has been wracked with illness then death. In 2007, the National Gallery in London held an exhibition of Kossoff's work, entitled Leon Kossoff: Drawing from Painting. He was offered the honor of Commander of British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, but he refused the honor. In 2010, Kossoff exhibited a traveling show of new paintings and drawings, beginning at Annely Juda Fine Art, London, then Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York, and ending at L.A. Louver, Los Angeles.