In the decades following World War II, this group of artists engaged with subjects that felt immediate and intensely personal, focusing on their friends and lovers as well as their immediate surroundings. Works from the immediate post-war period are defined by the angst and existentialism that spread across Europe following the death, destruction and bombing of the war. Humanity was portrayed as frail, desperate and bare. However, the work of these artists developed considerably over sustained careers that spanned numerous decades and – in the case of Auerbach, Kossoff and Rego – continue into the present day. This exhibition retraces these artistic developments including paintings and drawings spanning seven decades. Despite the sheer diversity of approaches and techniques, they share a constantly renewed appraisal of the artists’ personal position in the world, focusing on individuals, locations and narratives close and dear to them.