Monday, July 27, 2026

 David Hockney
(1976) 
 

'An avid portraitist throughout his entire career, David Hockney has painted, drawn, or printed hundreds of portraits since the mid-1960s. Frequently drawn to the same subjects, Hockney often depicts himself or his relatives, friends, and employees—many of whom are famous artists, fashion designers, and dancers. In 2013, he dove into an intensive period of portraiture, producing 82 paintings over the course of three years, featuring titans of the art world like architect Frank Gehry and art dealer Larry Gagosian. Hockney depicted each of his subjects in the same setting—sitting on a yellow armchair against a blue or green background—in order to better highlight their unique qualities. Hockney’s portraits are also fitting bookends to his presence in the art market. His first painting ever sold was a portrait of his father from 1955. In November 2018, his Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972), featuring his former lover Peter Schlesinger, turned him into the most expensive living artist, selling for $90.3 million with fees at Christie’s.



Billy Wilder
1976

Lithograph (edition of 43)
The David Hockney Foundation


Sunday, July 26, 2026

 David Hockney
(1981) 

This exhibition poster, titled Portrait of Celia in a Black Dress with Colored Border, was designed and created by David Hockney for a show held at the Galerie Kammer in Hamburg, Germany, in 1981. Referenced as #43 in Brian Baggot's Hockney Posters catalogue raisonné, this poster captures Hockney's intimate and striking portrayal of his muse, Celia Birtwell.
The artwork features Celia seated elegantly, with her black dress contrasting against a vibrant, colorful border that emphasizes her figure and poise. Hockney’s masterful use of color and composition is evident in this piece, reflecting his unique style and deep connection with his subject.


https://www.artsy.net/artwork/david-hockney-celia-in-a-black-dress-with-colored-border


Celia In A Black Dress With Colored Border
1981
Lithograph (edition of 1000)
99.9 x 63.5 cm
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/david-hockney-celia-in-a-black-dress-with-colored-border


Saturday, July 25, 2026

David Hockney
(1973) 
 
Also in Paris, Hockney draws a series of portraits of Celia Birtwell.

“Celia has a beautiful face, a very rare face with lots of things in it which appeal to me. It shows aspects of her, like her intuitive knowledge and her kindness, which I think is her rates virtue. To me she’s such a special person.”
 
David Hockney
 

Celia Wearing Checked Sleeves 

1973
Coloured pencil on paper
64.7 x 49.5 cm
Private collection
https://www.thedavidhockneyfoundation.org/chronology/1973


Celia Wearing Checkered Sleeves, 
1981
Lithograph for an exhibition in Chicago, May 1981
91 x 66 cm

Friday, July 24, 2026

 David Hockney
(1975) 
 

In the early 70’s Hockney is living in Paris for a couple of years.
He and Gregory Evans had met in 1971, but in 1975 they became close companions, taking trips to Glyndebourne and Italy together as their romance blossoms.


https://www.thedavidhockneyfoundation.org/chronology/1975


Gregory Evans

1975
Pastel on paper
77.5 x 52 cm
The David Hockney Foundation
https://www.thedavidhockneyfoundation.org/chronology/1975


Thursday, July 23, 2026

 <b>David Hockney</b>
(1972) 

In 1975 Hockney abandoned an earlier version of this subject, which included a self-portrait reflected in the dressing table mirror (repr.in Livingstone, op.cit., pl.146). According to Livingstone, he made use of numerous colour photographs in T03255, although the figures were painted from life. The artist's father is portrayed reading a copy of Aaron Scharf's Art and Photography, while six volumes of the English translation of Proust's A la Recherche du Temps Perdu and a book on Chardin are visible on the bottom shelf of the trolley. Reflected in the mirror are a reproduction of Piero della Francesca's ‘The Baptism of Christ’ in the National Gallery and the top right-hand corner of Hockney's painting ‘Invented Man revealing Still Life’ 1975. 


https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hockney-my-parents-t03255


My Parents
1977
Oil paint on canvas
182.9 x 182.9 cm
Tate London
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hockney-my-parents-t03255


My Parents (first version)
1975
Oil paint on canvas
182.8 x 182.8 cm
The David Hockney Foundation
Exhibited for the first time in 2020 in the National Portrait Gallery
https://www.thedavidhockneyfoundation.org/storage/app/uploads/public/d23/431/fc8/thumb__1400_0_0_0_auto.jpg

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

 David Hockney 
(1970) 
 

George Lawson and Wayne Sleep 1972−75 is one of the last paintings from a sequence of large double portraits that occupied David Hockney between 1968 and 1977, although the artist never fully finished it. The ten-foot, landscape-format painting shows the antiquarian book dealer George Lawson sitting on a stool at a clavichord placed against a wall. His right hand holds down a key on the keyboard, but his body is turned away from the clavichord and towards the open window to the left of the painting − he thus appears in profile and marks the centre of the painting. Immediately to the left of the clavichord and adjacent to the window is a doorway with the door ajar; in this opening stands the ballet dancer Wayne Sleep, leaning against the doorframe by his left elbow and with his legs crossed − a casual contrapposto pose that is echoed by the curtains pulled to the side of the window. The casual pose and clothing of Sleep − T-shirt, white trousers and correspondent shoes − is in contrast to the more formal green suit, bow tie and polished black shoes worn by Lawson. The setting for the painting was Lawson’s flat in Wigmore Place, London


George Lawson and Wayne Sleep 
1972-75
Acrylic on canvas
214 x 305 cm
Tate, London
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hockney-george-lawson-and-wayne-sleep-t14098

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

 David Hockney
(1971)
 

Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy is an acrylic on canvas painting by the British artist David Hockney. Painted between 1970 and 1971, it depicts a couple, the fashion designer Ossie Clark and the textile designer Celia Birtwell in their flat in Notting Hill Gate, shortly after their wedding, with one of the couple's cats on Clark's knee. The white cat depicted in the painting was named Blanche; Percy was another of their cats, but Hockney thought "Percy" made a better title.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_and_Mrs_Clark_and_Percy

Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy
1970-71
Acrylic on canvas
213 x 304 cm
Tate,  London
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hockney-mr-and-mrs-clark-and-percy-t01269


 David Hockney (1976)    'An avid portraitist throughout his entire career, David Hockney has painted, drawn, or printed hundreds of por...