Main content

Frank Auerbach

Artist Frank Auerbach, as a new exhibition, The Charcoal Heads, opens in London. Stephen Smith finds out more about the 92-year-old and his work.

Frank Auerbach was sent to Britain from Nazi Germany by his parents at the age of 8. Growing up in a Quaker boarding school in Kent, he developed his artistic talents - later to be inspired by the landscapes of war-torn London in the Blitz. Worrying about how he would afford paint for much of his career, an Auerbach piece now commands a price tag in the millions.

He has developed a reputation as a recluse - rarely giving interviews, or even attending his own exhibitions. Now, his wartime art 'The Charcoal Heads' is on display in London. Who is the 92-year-old artist still working seven days a week? Stephen Smith gets beneath the paint layers to learn more about one of our greatest living artists.

CONTRIBUTORS
Dale Berning Sawa, Journalist and Commissioning Editor
William Feaver, Art Critic, Author
Catherine Lampert, Curator and Art Historian
Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head, The Courtauld Gallery

PRODUCTION TEAM
Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Ellie House and Julie Ball
Studio Manager: Neil Churchill
Editor: Matt Willis
Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck

CREDITS:
Omnibus, 大象传媒 TV, 2001. Jake Auerbach Films
This Cultural Life, 大象传媒 R4, January 2024

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Sun 25 Feb 2024 17:40

Broadcasts

  • Sat 24 Feb 2024 19:00
  • Sun 25 Feb 2024 05:45
  • Sun 25 Feb 2024 17:40

Podcast