“Drawing is not a mysterious activity. Drawing is making an image which expresses commitment and involvement…rejecting ideas which are possible to preconceive…destroying images that lie, discarding images that are dead.” Leon Kossoff, in Frank Auerbach (Tate, 1978)

In this penultimate blog post examining “The School of London’s” extensive exhibition history in partnership with the J. Paul Getty Museum’s current exhibition, London Calling: Bacon, Freud, Kossoff, Andrews, Auerbach, and Kitaj, the focus will be on the late 1990s and early 2000s. This period was one of broader international acclaim for these artists as they delved deeper into their fascination with the Old Masters and draughtsmanship.

As the school became ever more popular on the world stage, group shows began appearing all over the globe. For example, Kunsthaus Museum in Vienna, Austria presented L'École de Londres de Bacon à Bevan, a comprehensive and critically celebrated exhibition in 1999. The show also traveled to the Musee Maillol in Paris and Auditorio De Gallicia, Santiago de Compostella that same year. Continuing with this international trend, The Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City hosted La Mirada Fuerte: Pintura Figurativa de Londres in 2000. The show later made its way to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Monterrey, Mexico. These exhibitions demonstrated that “The School of London” had made a strong impression with audiences not just in the United States and United Kingdom, but all around the world.

While international shows were prevalent in this era, the group’s solo exhibitions became overtly personal, focused on draughtsmanship, and clear about artistic influences during this time. For instance, Leon Kossoff turned his attention toward drawing in the classical Baroque style of Nicolas Poussin. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York presented After Nicolas Poussin: New Etchings by Leon Kossoff in 2000 and The J. Paul Getty hosted Leon Kossoff: Drawing After Poussin the same year. These exhibitions elegantly represented Kossoff’s mastery of the medium and his passion for the greats of years past. For Kitaj, his work continued to feature traces of influence by the likes of Matisse and Picasso, but a much more heartbreaking and personal element appeared during this period. In his 2003 L.A. Louver solo exhibition Kitaj: Los Angeles Pictures audiences saw a great deal of expressionistic sketches depicting his longing for a winged angel. Tragically, Kitaj created these images in the wake of his wife, Sandra’s death caused by a brain aneurysm. It was also during this time that Kitaj decided to leave his adopted hometown of London and move full-time to Los Angeles.

As a crucial member of the group known for his thick, paint-laden canvases, Frank Auerbach finally received major recognition during this time in the form of the well-received solo retrospective Paintings and Drawings: 1954-2001 curated by Catherine Lampert at the prestigious Royal Academy of the Arts, London in 2001. The exhibition also demonstrated Auerbach’s exceptional talent for drawing, further connecting him to other members of his school.

Our next and final blog post will aim to cover the landmark exhibitions in recent years that laid the final groundwork for the J. Paul Getty Museum’s London Calling show.

London Calling: Bacon, Freud, Kossoff, Andrews, Auerbach, and Kitaj is currently on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum and runs until November 13. For more information, please go to www.getty.edu.

IMAGES: (left to right / top to bottom) Leon Kossoff, Christchurch Spitalfields, Summer, 1990 - 1993; Kossoff, Building Site with St. Paul’s, 1957; Kossoff, J. Paul Getty Museum announcement, 2000; Kossoff, Eliezer and Rebecca at the Well, 1998 - 1999 (after Poussin); Kossoff, Landscape with a Man Killed by a Snake, 1997 (after Poussin); Frank Auerbach, Euston Steps, 1981; R.B. Kitaj, Los Angeles No. 17, 2002; Kitaj, Los Angeles No. 22, 2001