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Tate Britain Exhibition

Frank Auerbach

9 October 2015 – 13 March 2016
Frank Auerbach website banner

Frank Auerbach, Head of William Feaver, 2003

Frank Auerbach Hampstead Road, High Summer

Frank Auerbach Hampstead Road, High Summer

Frank Auerbach E.O.W. half-length nude 1958

Frank Auerbach E.O.W. half-length nude 1958

Frank Auerbach Interior Vincent Terrace 1982-84

Frank Auerbach Interior Vincent Terrace 1982-84

Frank Auerbach Primrose Hill 1978

Frank Auerbach Primrose Hill 1978

Frank Auerbach Head of J.Y.M ll 1984-85

Frank Auerbach Head of J.Y.M ll 1984-85

Heavy painted landscape with thick lines of buildings, people and transport in Mornington Cresent

Frank Auerbach, 'Mornington Crescent' 1965

Frank Auerbach is a British artist who has made some of the most vibrant, alive and inventive paintings of recent times. Often compared to Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud in terms of the revolutionary and powerful nature of his work, his depictions of people and the urban landscapes near his London studio show him to be one of the greatest painters alive today.

Tate Britain’s exhibition, featuring paintings and drawings from the 1950s to the present day, offers fascinating new insights into his work the artist suggesting the selection of the first six galleries. The depth, texture and sense of space in a painting by Auerbach makes standing in front of one a unique and unforgettable experience.

Watch as portrait photographer Mary McCartney describes her love of Auerbach's work by selecting a couple of works from the exhibition:

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Mary McCartney on Frank Auerbach

For half a century Auerbach has lived and worked in the same part of London, in Camden Town, one of the major subjects of his work. 'What I wanted to do was to record the life that seemed to me to be passionate and exciting and disappearing all the time.'

Painting 365 days a year, he has continued discarding what he does, scraping back the surface of the canvas to start and re-start the painting process daily, continuing afresh for months or years until the single painting is realised in a matter of hours, having finally surprised him, seeming true and robust.

This part of London is my world. I’ve been wandering around these streets for so long that I’ve become attached to them and as fond of them as people are to their pets
Frank Auerbach

Curator of the exhibition and selector of the last two rooms, Catherine Lampert, has had a long working relationship with Auerbach, and has sat for him in his studio every week for 37 years. This exhibition shows that whilst he continually paints the same sitters and sometimes returns to a particular London location, each painting can be considered for its own merits rather than be judged by style or period.

shocking and brilliant...get smacked in the face by the terrifying glory of the world Auerbach is stunned by every morning, ****
The Guardian

Frank Auerbach’s work emerges in all its rude, raw power in this astonishing new retrospective, ****
The Telegraph

At his best Auerbach is without doubt our greatest living painter because he captures the soul, ****
The Times

This is an excellent exhibition that any fan of painting should visit – a fitting tribute to a world class artist and his significant career, ****
The Londonist

*****
The Evening Standard

A unique exhibition on a unique artist.
HuffPost

****
City Am

Auerbach has won his long tussle with paint and reality, again and again. With this exhibition, he joins the masters.
The Spectator

****
The Independent

Many magnificently memorable images stand up for themselves in this great show
The Financial Times

Frank Auerbach has become our greatest living artist
The Sunday Times

Tate Britain

Millbank
London SW1P 4RG
Plan your visit

Dates

9 October 2015 – 13 March 2016

Supported by

Maryam and Edward Eisler

With additional support from the Frank Auerbach Exhibition Supporters Group:

Marlborough Fine Art

Garcia Family Foundation

The Alan Howard Foundation

Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman

The Rothschild Foundation

Offer Waterman & Co.

Ordovas

Midge and Simon Palley

Eykyn Maclean

Robert Hiscox

Tate Americas Foundation

And those donors who wish to remain anonymous


And Tate Patrons

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Find out more

  • Artist

    Frank Auerbach

    1931—2024
Artwork
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