The Jewish artist Frank Auerbach was born in Berlin in 1931, two years before Hitler became the chancellor of Germany. In 1939, young Auerbach was sent to England to escape the Nazis; his parents didn’t make it out and died at Auschwitz. In the late 50s, while artists were moving toward Pop art, Auerbach was in London documenting the ravages of W.W. II in fiery brushstrokes. Dark corners and sunken faces populated his canvases. He was also creating self-portraits characterized by thick impasto and a focus on lines, folds, ridges, and bumps. “When one is young,” he said, “one is excited by drama and when one’s old, truth is exciting.” In 2024, Auerbach died at 93. His first posthumous exhibition in the city where he was born is curated by his longtime friend Catherine Lampert. It brings together works spanning six decades of his career. —Elena Clavarino