the courtauld gallery PODCASTS

FRANK AUERBACH:
LONDON BUILDING SITES 1952-62

 

“London after the war was a marvelous landscape with precipice and mountain and crags, full of drama..." Frank Auerbach 2009.

Fascinated by the rebuilding of London after the Second World War, Auerbach combed the city’s numerous building sites with his sketchbook in hand. Back in his studio he worked and reworked each painting over many months resulting in thickly built up paint surfaces more than an inch.

In these recordings, taken from an interview conducted by exhibition curator Dr Barnaby Wright, Frank Auerbach reminisces about living in post-war London in
the 50's and how some of his remarkable paintings came about.

Podcast 1: London after the war

Exhibition curator Barnaby Wright introduces this series of podcasts and begins by asking Frank Auerbach to recall his experiences of living in London in the 1950's.

Listen to podcast 1

Podcast 2: The Summer building site

In 1952 Auerbach produced Summer Building Site as the first building site painting in the series. In this podcast Dr Wright asks Auerbach how this particular painting came about.

Listen to podcast 2

To view an enlargement of Summer Building Site click here. The image will appear in a pop out window.

Podcast 3: The Earls Court Road

One of Auerbach's most uncompromising paintings is his Building Site, Earls Court Road: Winter, in podcast 3 Auerbach explains more about this particular painting.

Listen to podcast 3

To view an enlargement of Building Site, Earls Court Road: Winter click here. The image will appear in a pop out window.

Podcast 4: Auerbach and his Inspirations

In this podcast Dr Wright asks Auerbach about his influence during the building site period and if there were any particular artists he found inspiring.

Listen to podcast 4

Podcast 5: The Oxford Street Building Site paintings

The exhibition devotes a section to Auerbach's monumental Oxford Street Building Site paintings, in the final podcast in the series Dr Wright begins by asking Auerbach about the sketching trips he made whilst producing this pair of magnificent paintings.

Listen to podcast 5

To view an enlargement of Oxford Street Building Site II click here. The image will appear in a pop out window.