Art historian and curator Catherine Lampert has reflected on her decades-long involvement with some of Britain’s most celebrated painters, including her extraordinary 46-year experience sitting as a model for Frank Auerbach. Lampert, now approaching 80, has played a significant role in chronicling and promoting the work of artists such as Auerbach, Euan Uglow, and Lucian Freud.

Lampert’s connection with Auerbach began in 1978 when she started weekly two-hour sittings that continued until the artist’s death in November 2024. She describes the experience as “life-changing,” emphasizing the emotional impact of sharing such an extended creative relationship. Over the years, she became more than a passive sitter, developing a profound attachment to Auerbach and his studio environment. In 2013, she even visited the Berlin residence of Auerbach’s childhood, discovering a Stolperstein, a Holocaust memorial plaque, commemorating his parents who perished in Auschwitz.

In addition to her close association with Auerbach, Lampert has also been deeply involved with the works of Euan Uglow, a British painter known for his meticulous approach to the human form. Last November, a painting by Uglow titled *Potiphar’s Wife* appeared in a private sale in London. Lampert, who had known Uglow since her early twenties and had organized his first major exhibition in 1974, was instrumental in documenting his oeuvre. In the final months of Uglow’s life, she worked closely with him on a catalogue raisonné, recording insights about his work that he shared despite battling cancer.

Lampert’s engagement with Lucian Freud’s legacy has also been substantial. She co-authored the catalogue raisonné of Freud’s paintings and contributed essays for recent exhibitions, including a current showing at the National Portrait Gallery in London. She met Freud in 1981 and maintained a working relationship with him, recalling his personal and direct manner with those around him.

Her career has spanned many roles, including leadership positions at prominent institutions such as the Whitechapel Gallery and the Arts Council. Lampert is known for her persistence in championing artists who had at times fallen into obscurity, helping to stage significant retrospectives and exhibitions that have reintroduced their work to new audiences. Recently, she curated *Euan Uglow: An Arc from the Eye* at MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, the artist’s first major show in two decades.

Lampert’s personal connections with these artists extend beyond professional collaboration. As she describes, the relationships forged through sitting for lengthy portrait sessions involve a unique intimacy and trust. “You just care an enormous amount,” she said, underscoring how art and life intertwined in her career. Despite the demanding nature of her work, she expressed joy in her ongoing engagement with contemporary art and artists, continuing to collect new work and attend exhibitions well into her late seventies.

*Euan Uglow: An Arc from the Eye* remains on view at MK Gallery through May 31. A Lucian Freud exhibition, *Drawing into Painting*, continues at the National Portrait Gallery until May 4.