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At 80, Kossoff breaks his silence

Last Modified: 19 Mar 2007
By: Nicholas Glass, Jon Snow

Leon Kossoff, one of Britain's greatest living artists, gives his first ever interview - to Channel 4 News.

He's up there with Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud. His pictures are hugely sought after, and he has a major exhibition just opened at London's National Gallery.

Yet Leon Kossoff is extraordinarily reluctant to promote either himself or his vast output of work, which at 80 years old he still continues.

He has never given an interview. When the National Gallery itself made a video to accompany the show, he would only allow his hands to be seen.

But after a lifetime of denial, Kossoff agreed to take Jon Snow and Nicholas Glass round his extraordinary exhibition.

You can watch the unedited version of the Leon Kossoff interview, by Jon Snow and Nicholas Glass, by clicking here.

Jon Snow on Leon Kossoff

He has never given an interview, never appeared on camera. When his current show was being prepared for the national gallery, they wanted to make a video about him - he would only allow them to film his hands.

But suddenly last Friday Kossoff relented and allowed me and our arts correspondent Nicholas Glass to go on a journey with him round his new show.

It proved to be one of the most uplifting mornings I have known as a journalist.

Extract taken from Jon's blog.