R.B. Kitaj
(1932-2007), PainterSitter in 6 portraits
Artist of 4 portraits
The American painter Kitaj travelled extensively as a sailor before attending the Ruskin School of Drawing (1958-9) and the Royal College of Art (1959-61), where he was an important influence on his younger contemporaries such as David Hockney. Drawing on many sources of inspiration, his figure-based work is complex in its range of references and often autobiographical. In 1994 the artist's Tate retrospective received a harsh critical reception. This, combined with the sudden death of his second wife, painter Sandra Fisher, led him to leave London for Los Angeles in 1997.
R.B. Kitaj with his wife, Elsi, and their son, Lem
by Lord Snowdon
bromide print, 6 December 1962
NPG P797(55)
Camberwell School of Art (Anthony Fry, Henry Inlander, Patrick Procktor, Robert Medley, R.B. Kitaj)
by Lord Snowdon
gelatin silver print, 30 September 1963
NPG P1967
by Frank Auerbach
etching, 1980
NPG 6558
R.B. Kitaj ('Self-Portrait: Hockney Pillow')
by R.B. Kitaj
oil on canvas, 1993-1994
NPG 6791
Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach, Stephen Finer, Julia Auerbach (née Wolstenholme), R.B. Kitaj
by Max Kitaj
digital print, 21 June 1997
NPG x137093
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