About this artwork

Auerbach mainly paints landscapes and townscapes in the Camden Town area of London, and portraits of a few close friends and relatives. This is a portrait of his wife, Julia Wolstenholme, who Auerbach met at the Royal College of Art in London. Auerbach is noted for his use of extremely thick, impasto paint. Yet here the majority of the paint is thinner and more diluted, which contrasts to a few areas where it is thick and tangible. Overall the appearance created is of a bold, vibrant portrait.

Updated before 2020

  • artist:
    Frank Auerbach (born 1931) English
  • title:
    Portrait of Julia
  • date created:
    1992
  • materials:
    Acrylic on board
  • measurements:
    Framed: 62.70 x 67.30 x 4.50 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Accepted by H.M. Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax on the Estate of Gerda Boehm and allocated to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 2010
  • accession number:
    GMA 5114
  • gallery:
  • subject:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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Frank Auerbach

Frank Auerbach