The painter John Lessore began sitting regularly for Kossoff
from 1987 onwards, soon after his teaching commitments at
Norwich School of Art came to an end (he ran the Life Room
jointly with John Wonnacott from 1976 to 1986).
He had first started sitting for Kossoff in 1957, and
twenty portraits of Lessore survive. When Lessore resumed thirty years later, he spent his time
memorising every detail of Kossoff ’s Willesden Green studio.
He subsequently completed thirteen paintings of Kossoff
working from a nude model, all done from imagination, but an accurate guide to Kossoff ’s studio set-up.
Lessore also made an album of drawings showing Kossoff at
work in the studio (Leon Kossoff Archive).