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Kitaj often described himself as the “most controversial painter alive.”  While disliked by some, his work was widely shown and greatly admired by many in the art world and beyond.  From his first exhibition at the Marlborough Gallery in London in 1963, Kitaj went on to curate the well-known, multiple artist show, “The Human Clay,” from which he coined the term “The School of London.”  He had major retrospectives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the National Gallery in London, along with the famous Tate show.  Scores of exhibitions of his work have been held throughout the world (Europe, North America, Israel, and South Africa), with an upcoming show of his most recent work at the Marlborough Gallery in New York in April 2008.  In addition to his membership in the Royal Academy, Kitaj was the recipient of five honorary doctorates, as well as the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale (1995).  

Kitaj's significance as a painter is also recognized in some 175 or so book covers that bear images of his work.  Kitaj believed that imitation was a high form of flattery, and readily acceded to the requests of authors from around the world (in a wide range of disciplines) to make use of his work for their books.  Kitaj in fact sensed that the book covers not only kept his work alive, but contributed to the unending process of interpreting a text or picture that was so central to his own creative labors.