Leon Kossoff (10 December 1926 – 4 July 2019) was a British figurative painter known for portraits, life drawings and cityscapes of London, England.
Kossoff was born in Islington, London, and spent most of his early life living there with his Russian Jewish parents.
He spent three years in military service with the Royal Fusiliers, attached to the 2nd Battalion Jewish Brigade, and served in Italy, Holland, Belgium and Germany.
After his military service, he returned to the Saint Martin's School of Art in 1949, and at Borough Polytechnic, took special classes under David Bomberg from 1950 to 1952.
Both young artists dealt with similar emotions and subject matter in their work, and employed heavy impasto in their paintings.