David Hockney
(1985) 

A last one of the "Joiners" before we turn to the landscape paintings of the 1990's

The location chosen for the next artwork has been described as one of the most romantic settings in Paris. Apart from providing visual elements for tourists, Place Furstenberg also carries architectural significance, given its historical background in housing an abbey. Created over three days – August 7th through 9th – this artwork showcases Hockney’s experimentation with multiple photography techniques while creating masterful art pieces that retain their relevance even up till today.
In essence, Place Furstenberg joins both history and contemporary art through Hockney’s eye for detail while retaining its beauty almost four decades after it was created.

Place Furstenberg, Paris, August 1985
1985
Collage of chromogenic prints (Edition of 2)
110.5 × 155.9 cm
Collection of the artist

 David Hockney
(1983) 
 

In the next collage, Hockney captures a conversation between the novelist Christopher Isherwood and his friend Bob Holman, resulting in an intimate, layered portrayal that blends personal connection with a sense of movement and time.
The choice of subject-Christopher Isherwood, a prominent writer, and Bob Holman-adds a layer of significance to the piece. Both individuals were part of Hockney's social circle in Los Angeles, a city whose artistic and cultural vibrancy Hockney celebrated. By choosing to portray Isherwood, Hockney acknowledges the influence of literary and intellectual figures on his own life and work, honoring these connections while pushing the boundaries of photographic representation.

Christopher Isherwood talking to Bob Holman
1983
Photographic Joiner (edition of 20)
88.9 x 139.7 cm
Private collection (Edition #9 Sold by Heritage Auctions on Dec 10 2024)
https://fineart.ha.com/itm/photographs/david-hockney-b-1937-christopher-isherwood-talking-to-bob-holman-santa-monica-1983dyecoupler-photograph-collage/a/8182-77070.s

 David Hockney

(1983) 

As one of Hockney’s photo collages, or “joiners,” Walking in the Zen Garden at the Ryoanji Temple, the present lot, utilizes the layering of each Polaroid images to tease the two-dimensionality of photography. Stones in the garden sit in the distance while Hockney’s feet stagger along the bottom border. Here, Hockney creates a sense of space while encouraging the viewer to participate in it.

https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/horizon-post-war-contemporary-art/david-hockney-b-1937-29/60044

Walking in the Zen Garden at the Ryoanji Temple
1983
Photographic Joiner (edition of 20)
101.6 x 158.8
Private collection (#7 sold by Christie’s 23 aug 2018)
https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/horizon-post-war-contemporary-art/david-hockney-b-1937-29/60044

 David Hockney
(1982) 
 

Next a photo collage of Hockneys mother at Bolton Abbey. Hockney made this photo collage titled My Mother, Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire,  in November 1982. The style of this montage was termed Photo Joiners by Hockney. 

https://www.artchive.com/artwork/my-mother-bolton-abbet-david-hockney/

Mother, Bolton Abbey
1982
Photographic print
Edition of 20
119 x 69 cm
Among others: The National Media Museum, Bradford
Private collections

https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-david-hockney/collection-photo-collages/artwork-my-mother-bolton-abbey-yorkshire-november-signed-print?lang=en&slug=david-hockney&collectionTaxonomy=collection&collection=photo-collages&artworkSlug=my-mother-bolton-abbey-yorkshire-november-signed-print

 <b>David Hockney</b>
(1982) 
 

Next is a portrait of John Kasmin, the London art dealer who was instrumental in establishing David Hockney's career during the 1960s. But again this is no ordinary portrait. As with the previous ones this is also built from dozens of separate photographs, each taken from a slightly different angle and at a slightly different moment. Hockney believed that our eyes never remain fixed like a camera lens. We constantly scan a face, assembling our own mental image. With his photographic joiners, he tried to recreate that experience, inviting us to look at the portrait the way we naturally look at a person.

Kasmin, Los Angeles 28th March 1982
1982
Photographic Joiner
106 x 75.6 cm
David Hockney collection
https://www.artchive.com/artwork/kasmin-los-angeles-28th-march-1982-david-hockney-1982/

David Hockney
(1986)

 'Pearblossom Highway' shows a crossroads in a very wide open space, which you only get a sense of in the western United States. . . . [The] picture was not just about a crossroads, but about us driving around. I'd had three days of driving and being the passenger. The driver and the passenger see the road in different ways. When you drive you read all the road signs, but when you're the passenger, you don't, you can decide to look where you want. And the picture dealt with that: on the right-hand side of the road it's as if you're the driver, reading traffic signs to tell you what to do and so on, and on the left-hand side it's as if you're a passenger going along the road more slowly, looking all around. So the picture is about driving without the car being in it.
Thus David Hockney described the circumstances leading to the creation of this photocollage of the scenic Pearblossom Highway north of Los Angeles. His detailed collage reveals the more mundane observations of a road trip. The littered cans and bottles and the meandering line where the pavement ends and the sand begins point to the interruption of the desert landscape by the roads cutting through it and the imprint of careless travelers.

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103QT4

Pearblossom Highway
April 11-18, 1986
Chromogenic print
181.6 × 271.8 cm
Getty Center, L.A.
https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103QT4

 <b>David Hockney</b>
(1982) 

Next works by Hockney are from the series of photo collage works. Hockney would use many pieces of photographs to develop a montage that would show a wholesome picture but appear distorted. 
The style of this montage was termed Photo Joiners by Hockney. He shared that these works are inspired by Cubism. He stated, “Cubism is difficult to grasp, even for me. I’ve looked at some cubist paintings for 25 years without understanding them. People said cubism led to abstraction but that’s another art-history swindle. Suddenly I see cubism differently, more clearly. And my experiments have led me to a couple of theories of my own…”

Gregory Swimming, Los Angeles
1982
Composite polaroid
68.5 x 130 cm
Private collection

Gregory Swimming, Instalation