Reviews

‘A marvellous piece of book production, perfect in every way and – clearly – the result of extreme devotion.
It will secure Leon’s place in the canon of English painting ’ – Frank Auerbach, 2021

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‘Kossoff’s catalogue raisonné … is a massive, bold, beautiful, generous,
not only exquisitely illustrated but compendious in its inclusion of reminiscence and reviews,
a gorgeously produced labour of love that tells you all you need to know about Kossoff
and demonstrates his greatness beyond all dispute’ – Howard Jacobson, The Spectator, 18 December 2021

 

‘A catalogue raisonné is a herculean effort of research, detective work, devotion and perception.
This one, assembled over eight years by a small team led by Andrea Rose, an art historian and specialist in British painting, conveys the usual breathtaking accumulation of information: images of each painting, its exhibition history and bibliography and a list of its successive owners … An added benefit is the liveliness of Rose’s annotations of the paintings, which are peppered with striking observations from sundry art historians, curators and critics, artists, the artist himself and others’ –
Roberta Smith, The New York Times, 3 February 2022

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‘A landmark study of the work of Leon Kossoff’ – Beth Williamson, The Burlington Magazine, June 2022

 

Summary

• The catalogue raisonné brings together the whole of Kossoff’s oil paintings for the first time, reproducing his works in high-quality colour images on a grand scale. Accompanying commentary brings new insight into the works, as well as quoting significant published criticism. The book also comprises an introduction by Andrea Rose, an essay on Kossoff’s relationship with the Old Masters by Dr Barnaby Wright, an extensive chronology, and a further short essay by Rose on Kossoff’s materials, technique and studio practice. This wealth of factual detail is elegantly presented within a design that, as was Kossoff’s modest wish, has the paintings themselves at its heart.