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Ken Price portrait by Brian Forrest
photo © Toby Glanville

 

Leon Kossoff

1926 Born City Road, Islington, London

Education:
1938-43 Attended Hackney Downs (Grocers) School, London
1939-43 Evacuated with school to King's Lynn, Norfolk
Lived with Mr and Mrs R.C. Bishop who encouraged his interest in art Made first paintings
1943 Returned to London. Attended life drawing evening classes at Toynbee Hall and St Martin's School of Art London
1943-45 Commercial Art Course at St Martin's School of Art, London
1945-48 Military Service with Royal Fusiliers, attached to 2nd Battalion Jewish Brigade, served in Italy, Holland, Belgium, and Germany
1949-53 Studied at St Martin's School of Art and attended evening classes at Borough Polytechnic, London, with David Bomberg (1950-52)
1953-56 Studied at Royal College of Art, London

full biography

   
Current museum exhibition

Radical Figures:
Post-war British Figurative Painting

includes Leon Kossoff
Radical Figures: Post-war British Figurative Painting
includes Leon Kossoff
16 March 2013 - 16 March 2014
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester, UK

 
     
Upcoming exhibition

Leon Kossoff: London Landscapes
8 May - 6 July 2013
Annely Juda Fine Art
London, U.K.

12 September - 26 October 2013
Galerie Lelong 
Paris

5 November - 21 December 2013
Mitchell-Innes & Nash         
New York

23 January - 1 March 2014
L.A. Louver
Venice, CA

 
     

Selected L.A. Louver exhibitions

Loose Canon
Second floor and Skyroom
13 October 2011 - 12 November 2011

Leon Kossoff
8 September - 8 October 2011

     

Group show
Main gallery
2 June - 9 July 2011

 
Figuration
Paintings and Drawings

17 November - 30 December
    → view all past L.A. Louver exhibitions

Selected museum exhibitions

Leon Kossoff: Drawing from Painting
14 March - 1 July 2007
The National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London

Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956 - 2000
Museum of Art Lucerne
30 April - 24 July 2005
    → view all past museum exhibitions
Selected videos

Leon Kossoff consented to a rare television interview with Nicholas Glass and Jon Snow for the UK's Channel 4 News program. Please click on the following link to watch the video, which features Kossoff discussing his newest paintings, describing the body of work he has created in response the Old Master works at the National Gallery, and taking the journalists on a tour of his most beloved paintings in the museum's collection.

National Gallery educational video
Produced by the National Gallery, this educational video examines Leon Kossoff's "Drawing from Painting" exhibition, and also follows the artist through his unique print-making process.
view the video

     

Publications

Leon Kossoff
L.A. Louver, Venice, CA
25 February - 3 April 2010
Text by Lawrence Gowing
72 pages, 27 color illustrations
Hardback

Leon Kossoff: From the Early Years, 1957 - 1967
Published by Mitchell-Innes & Nash, 2010
17 February - 28 March 2009

     
Paint Made Flesh
Published by Vanderbilt University Press 2009 for the group exhibition that traveled to
First Center for Visual Arts, Nashville, TN, 23 January - 10 May 2009;
The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., 20 June - 13 September 2009;
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, 24 October 2009 - 3 January 2010
  Leon Kossoff: Drawing from Painting
Published by National Gallery Company, London
Includes text by Colin Wiggins, Juliet Wilson Bareau and Philip Consibee
14 March - 1 July 2007
     
Drawn to Painting:
Leon Kossoff Drawings and Prints A
fter Nicolas Poussin

Published by Merrell Publishers, in collaboration with L.A. Louver, Venice, CA, 2000
  Leon Kossoff
Annely Juda / Mitchell-Innes & Nash catalogue
Co-published by Annely Juda Fine Art, London;
and Mitchell-Innes and Nash, New York, 2000
     
Leon Kossoff: Tate Retrospective catalogue
Published by the order of the Trustees 1996 for the exhibition at the Tate Gallery
6 June - 1 September 1996
  Leon Kossoff : Recent paintings
British Pavilion, XLVI Venice Biennale
Published by the British Council, London, 1995
     
Identity and Alterity: Figures of the Body 1895 - 1995
Exhibition catalogue for the XLVI Venice International Biennale
Published by Marsilo, Venice, 1995
  Leon Kossoff: Drawings 1985 to 1992
Co-published by Anthony d’Offay Gallery, London and L.A. Louver, Venice, CA
8 May - 5 June 1993
     
Leon Kossoff
Published by Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London
9 September - 8 October 1988
  Leon Kossoff: Recent Work
Co-published by L.A. Louver, Venice, CA; Fischer Fine Art, London; and Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London
15 November - 15 December 1984
     
After Nicolas Poussin
A portfolio of 22 etchings; 14 images are an edition of 20,
and 8 images are varying editions of unique proofs.
1999
   
     
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Leon Kossoff painting - Building Site Near Saint Paul’s No. 2 Leon Kossoff painting, Building Site Near Saint Paul’s No. 1 Leon Kossoff painting, head of father Leon Kossoff painting, Head of Seedo Leon Kossoff painting, Seated Woman Leon Kossoff painting, Father Seated in an Armchair No. 2 Leon Kossoff painting, City Building Site Leon Kossoff painting, Portrait of Philip II Leon Kossoff painting, Two Seated Figures

 


oil on board, 1965
73 x 49 in. (185.4 x 124.5 cm)
Tate, London

Image is available in Leon Kossoff by Paul Moorehouse, Tate Gallery Publishing, London, 1996, p. 59

Leon Kossoff painting, Portrait of Mother Asleep Leon Kossoff painting, Seated Nude No. 1 Leon Kossoff painting, Self Portrait Leon Kossoff painting, YMCA Building Site No. 2 Leon Kossoff painting, Willesden Junction, Summer No. 1 Leon Kossoff painting, YMCA Building Site No. 1 Leon Kossoff painting, Nude (Autumn Morning)

oil on board, 1972
72 x 84 in.
(182.9 x 213.4 cm)
Arts Council Collection, Hayward Gallery, London

Image is available in Leon Kossoff by Paul Moorehouse, Tate Gallery Publishing, London, 1996, p. 79

Leon Kossoff painting, Red Brick School Building, Winter Leon Kossoff painting, Outside Kilburn Underground, Indian Summer: for Rosalind Leon Kossoff painting, A Street in Willesden, Early Summer Leon Kossoff painting, Peggy Resting No. 3 Leon Kossoff painting, Head of Chaim Leon Kossoff painting, Portrait of John Lessore Leon Kossoff painting, Portrait of Anne II Leon Kossoff painting, Self Portrait with Christchurch Leon Kossoff painting, Christchurch, Winter Evening Leon Kossoff painting, cathy

oil on board, 1995
72 x 80 in. (182.8 x 203.1 cm)
Tate, London

Image is available in Leon Kossoff by Paul Moorehouse, Tate Gallery Publishing, London, 1996, p. 163

Leon Kossoff painting, Summer in the Studio, Pilar and Jacinto No.3 Leon Kossoff painting, Christchurch spacer Leon Kossoff painting, Nude, 2000

 
Building Site Near Saint Paul’s No. 2
 
 

   
Building Site Near Saint Paul’s No. 1
   
Head of Father
   
Head of Seedo
   
Seated Woman
   
Father Seated in an Armchair No. 2
   
City Building Site
   
Portrait of Philip II
   
Two Seated Figures
 

 
Woman Ill in Bed, Surrounded by Family

   
Portrait of Mother Asleep
 

 
Seated Nude No. 1

 

 
Self Portrait

 

 
YMCA Building Site No. 2

 

 
Willesden Junction, Summer No. 1

 

 
YMCA Building Site No. 1

 

 
Nude (Autumn Morning)

 

 
Children's Swimming Pool, Autumn

 

 
Red Brick School Building, Winter

 

 
Outside Kilburn Underground, Indian Summer: for Rosalind

 

 
A Street in Willesden, Early Summer

 

 
Peggy Resting No. 3

 

 
Head of Chaim

 

 
Portrait of John Lessore

 

 
Portrait of Anne II

 

 
Self Portrait with Christchurch

 

 
Christchurch, Winter Evening

 

 
Cathy

 

 
The Flower and Fruit Stalls, Embankment

 

 
Summer in the Studio, Pilar and Jacinto No.3

 

  
Christchurch

 

  
Nude

 
Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne Leon Kossoff: Selected Paintings 1956-2000, Museum of Art Lucerne
 
Installation photography, Leon Kossoff:
Selected Paintings 1956 - 2000, Museum of Art Lucerne, 30 April – 24 July 2005 >>