Frank Auerbach (British, 1931-2024)
Drawing for Mornington Crescent
felt tip pen and pencil
22.2 x 33 cm. (8 3/4 x 13 in.)
Executed circa 1970

Provenance
With Marlborough Fine Art, London, 8 February 1971
Sale; Bonhams, London, 5 March 2013, lot 149, where purchased by
Private Collection
Their sale; Sotheby's, London, 30 September 2015, lot 113, where purchased by the present owner

Frank Auerbach has emerged as one of the most prominent and accomplished artists of his era. Collaborating with fellow artists Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud and Leon Kossoff as part of the London Group, he forged a distinctive style that would later become synonymous with his name, elevating his stature to that of one of the most influential artists in the post-war period.

Auerbach was born in Berlin, in 1931, to a lawyer, Max Auerbach and former art student Charlotte Nora Borchardt. He was sent to Britain to escape the horrors of Nazism as part of the Kindertransport, he arrived in England at the tender age of seven, alone. His parents wrote often but tragically fell victim to the Holocaust in 1942. Now, at the age of 92, he has devoted nearly half a century to capturing the essence of his art, consistently portraying the cityscape surrounding his studio in Camden Town, North London, and a cast of enduring models. The artist was recorded describing his work as:

“a sense of survivors scurrying among a ruined city”

Auerbach studied at St Martin's School of Art and afterwards at the Royal College of Art. Yet, perhaps the clearest influence on his art training came from a series of additional art classes he took at London's Borough Polytechnic, under David Bomberg.

From the age of 17, Bomberg had a profound influence on Auerbach’s artistic approach with an emphasis on the fundamental role of drawing. Auerbach expresses his admiration for his master, stating:

"I didn't realize that I had encountered perhaps the most original, tenacious, and radical intellect to be found in art schools... There was a sense that in other art schools, one had to present something presentable, but in those classes, there was an atmosphere of research and radicalism that was highly stimulating. Bomberg was extraordinarily courageous and serious in a way that very few painters are... I believe that during my time as a student, Bomberg was far more significant to me than anyone else."

Mornington Crescent is a location in London that holds special significance in Auerbach's art. Auerbach has lived and worked near Mornington Crescent for many years, and the area has been a recurring subject in his paintings and drawings. His depictions of Mornington Crescent capture the essence of the city, portraying the streets, buildings, and people with a raw and emotional intensity. The repeated exploration of this locale reflects Auerbach's commitment to capturing the essence of his surroundings through his distinctive artistic process.

“I thought I would be modern painter doing sensational canvases with marvellous shapes and colours. Working on the streets was not what I had planned, but I realised years later that it had a certain symbolism. I had been through the war, we’d all survived. This must have in some way affected me and it seemed to be rather urgent that I try and pin this down.”

Alongside fellow members of the London Group, Auerbach is acknowledged for significantly influencing a new wave of important contemporary painters. Notable names influenced by his work include Jenny Saville, Cecily Brown, Adrian Ghenie, and Antony Micallef, among others.

Auerbach is arguably Britain’s greatest living artist, whose work has had a deep and profound affect of the landscape of art for generations. Some of his work is currently the subject of a major exhibition at Courtauld Gallery, Frank Auerbach - The Charcoal Heads, which runs until 27 May 2024.