School Building, Willesden III

In this drawing, Leon Kossoff depicts Dudden Hill Secondary School in Brent, a typical late 19th century 'Board School'. The building forms a intense and brooding presence above the flow of traffic. Dudden Hill became Willesden College of Technology, and later part of the College of North West London.

Leon Kossoff first came to prominence in the 1950s as one of a group of London based painters, including Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach, who were committed to figurative art rooted in autobiography. His drawings and paintings are the result of a deep engagement with the subject matter. Throughout his career, Kossoff has made a small number of friends and London locations the focus of his work. North London cityscapes, in particular those around York Way, Caledonian Road, Willesden and Dalston have been the subject of sustained artistic scrutiny over many years.

Born in 1926 in Islington, to Russian Jewish parents, Kossoff grew up in Shoreditch, Bethnal Green and Hackney, and studied at St Martin’s School of Art. In addition, he attended classes at the Borough Polytechnic run by David Bomberg, whose 'Evening in the City of London' is also part of the Museum of London's collection. Bomberg’s example was to have a deep impact on Kossoff’s development and working practices.