Leon Kossoff was a British figurative painter known for portraits, life drawings and cityscapes of London, England.
14 Facts About Leon Kossoff
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When he returned to London in 1943, Leon Kossoff went to Saint Martin's School of Art, and studied commercial art.
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Leon Kossoff attended life drawing classes in the evenings at Toynbee Hall.
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Leon Kossoff spent three years in military service with the Royal Fusiliers, attached to the 2nd Battalion Jewish Brigade, and served in Italy, Holland, Belgium and Germany.
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Leon Kossoff was influenced by another one of his teacher's students, Frank Auerbach.
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Leon Kossoff chose his subject matter mostly from the area of London where he was born.
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From 1950 to 1953, Leon Kossoff's studio was located at Mornington Crescent; he then moved to Bethnal Green, where he lived until 1961.
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Leon Kossoff studied at the Royal College of Art from 1953 to 1956.
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In 1956, Leon Kossoff joined Helen Lessore's Beaux Arts Gallery, located on Bruton Place in London.
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In 1959, Leon Kossoff began to teach at the Regent Street Polytechnic, the Chelsea School of Art, and the Saint Martin's School of Art, all in London.
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In 1995, Leon Kossoff exhibited his artworks at the 46th Venice Biennale and in 1996 was the subject of a Tate Gallery retrospective.
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In 2007, London's National Gallery held an exhibition of Kossoff's work entitled "Leon Kossoff: Drawing from Painting".
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Leon Kossoff declined appointment as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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Leon Kossoff died at the age of 92 on 4 July 2019 from complications of a stroke.