Willesden Junction: workmen pushing trolleys

In this drawing by the painter and draughtsman Leon Kossoff, men are depicted at work in Willesden Junction, an area of London close to the artist's studio.

Kossoff first came to prominence in the 1950s as one of a powerful group of London based painters, including Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach, who were committed to figurative art rooted in autobiography.

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. Along with Auerbach, he also attended classes run by David Bomberg, whose 'Evening in the City of London' is part of the Museum's paintings collection. Bomberg’s example was to have a deep impact on Kossoff’s development and working practices.

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.