Renowned British-German Artist Frank Auerbach, a Child Refugee from Nazi Germany, Dies at 93

Frank Auerbach, the British-German painter who escaped Nazi Germany as a child, has passed away at the age of 93, his representatives have confirmed. Recognized as one of the most significant painters of his generation, Auerbach died peacefully at his London residence on Monday morning. Geoffrey Parton, the director of Frankie Rossi Art Projects, issued a statement, saying: “We have lost a dear friend and remarkable artist but take comfort knowing his voice will resonate for generations to come.” Auerbach’s distinguished career spanned seven decades, with his creations exhibited in prominent galleries globally. Born in Berlin in 1931, he relocated to England eight years later, arriving in London as a refugee from Nazi Germany as one of six children whose passage was facilitated by the writer Iris Origo. Between 1948 and 1955, he pursued his education at St Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. According to Frankie Rossi Art Projects, Auerbach resided and produced art in the identical north London studio from 1954 onwards, dedicating 364 days annually to his artistic practice. His inaugural retrospective exhibition took place at London’s Hayward Gallery in 1978, and Auerbach received the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Biennale in 1986. Earlier in the current year, an additional exhibition showcasing his work, titled The Charcoal Heads, was presented at the Courtauld Gallery in the capital. Auerbach gained recognition for his portraiture, alongside depictions of street scenes in Camden, north London, his primary area of operation. The Telegraph, in its obituary, characterized him as “an artist of remarkable intensity whose use of thick paint gave his work the quality of sculpture”. The Telegraph further described his artistic approach, stating: “All his work was abstracted reality, with the energy of the artist written across the surface in broad, thick swathes of paint, often applied straight from the tubes.” Auerbach stood among several prominent post-war artists, including Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, and Lucian Freud. He once estimated that 95% of the paint he used was discarded, and he conveyed to the Guardian: “I’m trying to find a new way to express something… So I rehearse all the other ways until I surprise myself with something I haven’t previously considered.” His son, Jacob Auerbach, survives the painter.