London Calling

A landmark publication on the School of London, showcasing how postwar British artists like Bacon, Hockney, Freud, and Rego transformed figurative painting and the human form.

This richly illustrated publication accompanies a major exhibition organized by Kunstmuseum Den Haag in collaboration with Tate, exploring the School of London — a group of postwar artists who redefined figurative painting in Britain. Featuring more than 70 works by Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Paula Rego, Frank Auerbach, and their contemporaries, the book traces how these painters captured the human condition in an era of social and cultural upheaval. While Paris and New York led the charge in abstraction, London fostered a quieter yet profound revolution centered on the human body and psyche. Through essays and artworks, the catalog reveals how these artists grappled with shifting notions of identity, intimacy, and power, offering a compelling perspective on 20th-century art and reaffirming London’s role as a crucible of postwar creativity.