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Frank Auerbach, an influential German-British painter celebrated for his expressionistic portraits that encapsulate the multifaceted human experience, has passed away at the age of 93. The news was confirmed in an email by Geoffrey Parton, director of Frankie Rossi Art Projects, who expressed profound loss but noted the lasting legacy of Auerbach's work.

Auerbach's journey began in Berlin in 1931, but his life took a dramatic turn in 1939 when he arrived in England as a refugee from the Nazi regime. Sponsored by English writer Iris Origo—a close friend of his parents—he found a new home and eventually became a naturalized British citizen in 1947.

From 1948 to 1955, Auerbach honed his craft at St. Martin's School of Art and later at the Royal College of Art in London, the city that would remain his base for most of his life. A significant presentation of his paintings from the early 1970s to 2021 took place at Frieze Masters in 2024, affirming the importance of stability for an artist whose early life was marked by upheaval. His works, known for their vibrant colors and psychological depth, often featured repeat sitters, reflecting his belief in the importance of deep human connections.

Auerbach's philosophy on art was succinctly captured in a 2023 interview with The Guardian, where he stated, "Our deepest experiences are other people… it seems that the only thing worth using for one's art is one's deepest experiences." His relationships with fellow artists Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, who painted his portraits, further underscore the mutual admiration and inspiration within this close-knit artistic community.

Auerbach's career was marked by critical acclaim, beginning with solo exhibitions at the Beaux Arts Gallery and the Marlborough Gallery in the 1950s and '60s. His first retrospective at the Hayward Gallery in 1978 was lauded by the Financial Times as a "dense, weighty and ultimately triumphant demonstration of painting at its most concentrated and profound."

Despite being challenging to appreciate through photographs, Auerbach's dense, textured works were deeply rewarding to experience in person. This sentiment was echoed by Jason Farago of The New York Times in 2021, highlighting the artist's ability to captivate viewers.

Auerbach's work garnered international recognition over the years, with major exhibitions at the Yale Center for British Art, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid. In 1986, Auerbach represented the UK in the Venice Biennale, sharing the prestigious Golden Lion with Sigmar Polke. A joint retrospective by Tate Britain and the Kunstmuseum Bonn in 2015 further solidified his global standing.

Frequently described as reclusive, Auerbach was known for his unwavering dedication to his art, often working tirelessly in his studio. This relentless pursuit of perfection was encapsulated in a depiction by celebrated novelist W.G. Sebald in "Emigrants," where Auerbach (portrayed as Max Ferber) is seen applying and then scratching off paint to achieve a striking vividness in his portraits.

Driven by a fear of failure and a quest for a deeper truth, Auerbach explained in a 2012 interview with Prospect magazine that he continually repainted his pictures, searching for an "underlying secret structure to things." His commitment to his craft ensured that his voice will indeed resonate for generations to come.