Self-Portrait V, Acrylic on board by Frank Auerbach, 2022 Private Collection © Estate of the Artist, courtesy of Frankie Rossi Art Projects
The National Portrait Gallery, in collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, will host the first major posthumous exhibition celebrating Frank Auerbach, one of Britain's most prominent artists.
Running from 14 October 2027 through 9 January 2028, this landmark survey highlights his remarkable seven-decade career, focusing on his distinctive approach to portraiture and landscape painting.
The exhibition gathers celebrated paintings and drawings from prominent public and private collections.
It offers an in-depth examination of Auerbach’s signature technique, defined by heavy impasto and rich textural layers that capture both the immediate presence and enduring relationships he shared with his sitters.
Throughout his life, Auerbach continually depicted a intimate group of trusted friends, family members, and regular models.
The display highlights key portraits created between the 1950s and 2024, alongside self-portraits from both the beginning and mature phases of his career.
Auerbach applied this same deep familiarity to his local environment, famously observing that he painted the people and places he knew best to uncover their singular image.
Visitors will see his iconic representations of London settings near his Camden studio, including Primrose Hill and Mornington Crescent.
Additionally, the retrospective highlights his sustained engagement with Old Master paintings and their profound influence on his artistic development.
Following its London debut, the exhibition will travel to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in the spring of 2028, marking Auerbach's first major US museum show.
An accompanying exhibition catalogue will feature scholarly essays by co-curators Dr Flavia Frigeri of the National Portrait Gallery and Katherine Brinson of the Guggenheim, among other contributors.
Ticket sales will open at a later date, with early access offered via the gallery's email newsletter.
