R.B. Kitaj (1932-2007), Painter

Sitter associated with 5 portraits
Artist of 4 portraits
American painter, who travelled extensively as a sailor before attending the Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford and the Royal College of Art, 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 and often autobiographical. In 1994 his 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.