Mitchell-Innes & Nash will present an exhibition of early oil paintings by the British artist Leon Kossoff in its Chelsea gallery from February 17 to March 28, 2009. On view for the first time in the US, the 12 paintings in this exhibition are among the finest examples of Kossoff’s work and provide a timely investigation into his role within the School of London of the 1950s and 60s.

As a key figure in the School of London, Leon Kossoff (b. 1926) has been described as one of the greatest British artists of the past four decades. He grew up in the East End of London and has lived in the city all his life. His work focuses on London’s changing urban landscape and the human figure. Loyal to a limited number of models, Kossoff’s portraits are mostly of members of his own family or very close friends. He is an artist who builds up thickly layered paintings that evoke a deep emotional response to the world as he experiences it.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the gallery will publish a fully illustrated catalogue.