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Sitting for Giants: Lampert's Life with Art Icons
14 Apr
Summary
- Lampert curated retrospectives for major artists like Auerbach.
- She sat for Frank Auerbach weekly for 46 years until his death.
- Her work focuses on art historical tasks like cataloguing artists' works.
Art historian, curator, and former model Catherine Lampert has spent decades immersed in the world of contemporary art, fostering deep connections with artists like Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach.
Lampert's career highlights include co-authoring Freud's catalogue raisonné and curating significant retrospectives for Auerbach and Euan Uglow. Her dedication extends to personally sitting for artists; she engaged in weekly two-hour sessions with Auerbach for 46 years until his passing in November 2024, describing the experience as life-changing.
Her work also involves meticulous art historical tasks, such as documenting artists' complete oeuvres. Lampert organized Uglow's first major show in 1974 and was working on his catalogue raisonné at the time of his death in August 2000. She also curated the 2019 show of Paula Rego's paintings, revitalizing interest in her work.
Born in Washington DC in 1946, Lampert moved to London in her early twenties to study sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art. She later held influential positions, including director of the Whitechapel Gallery from 1988 to 2001.
Lampert's commitment to artists is characterized by genuine care and a desire to broaden the understanding of their work. Her close relationships with artists like Auerbach, for whom she also provided personal support, underscore her unique position in the art community. She notes that sitting for these artists, while time-consuming, was always a mood-lifting experience.
