Head of Jake, 1998: “the head seems to materialise out of a storms of lines and colour, giving a sense of psychological intensity.”

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Frank Auerbach, now 81, has painted at his studio at Mornington Crescent in London for more than 50 years, to a strict daily schedule. His close friends, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, dominated British and international painting. Despite his lower profile, Auerbach’s work has been in great demand. In June, eight of his paintings fetched £2.5m at a Bonham’s auction. In June 2010, a portrait of his long-term lover, Estella Olive West, was sold for £860,000.

Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate, describes Auerbach as a master of the medium of paint, saying that “his work will continue to resonate with generations” of artists. Barnaby Wright, curator of 20th century art at the Courtauld Gallery, says that “Frank Auerbach is one of the greatest artists working today.”