London Calling - Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Paula Rego, Lucian Freud (ENG)

book will be published on February 14

Thijs de Raedt, Gregory Salter, Sanjukta Sunderason, Elena Crippa

London Calling offers the first survey in the Netherlands of post-war British painting. Produced in collaboration with Tate, this publication presents key works by artists such as Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, David Hockney and Paula Rego, united by their intense engagement with the human figure.

London is their shared setting, but paint itself is what connects them: canvases filled with bodies, gazes and interior spaces that capture the spirit of an era. Alongside the canonical figures, the book highlights artists long overlooked, including Celia Paul, Eva Frankfurther and Denzil Forrester. Their work broadens the understanding of what has come to be known as the ‘School of London’ — not a formal movement, but a shared exploration of how to paint the lived world.

Exhibition
Kunstmuseum Den Haag
February 14 through June 7, 2026