David Hockney pays tribute to his carers in his latest paintings… including the man who makes his glasses
In his latest series of paintings, David Hockney pays tribute to his sitters and immediate surroundings, including the man who made his glasses.
Revered for his landscapes and contributions to pop art, Mr. Hockney will exhibit new portraits, including portraits of his full-time sitters, at the Serpentine North gallery in Hyde Park from March 12 to August 23.
Mr Hockney, 88, has had health problems in recent years, including a mini-stroke in 2013.
But he continued to paint, and his latest exhibition pays tribute to members of his inner circle, including portraits of Thomas Mupfupi, one of his sitters, and Jack Ransome, who made his glasses.
Mr Hockney said: ‘I have always believed that art should be a deep pleasure. There is a tremendous amount of pain everywhere, all the time, but I believe my mission as an artist is to overcome and alleviate the barrenness of despair.
‘New ways of seeing mean new ways of feeling… I believe painting can change the world.’
The exhibition will include a total of five still lifes and five portraits.
Alongside portraits of Mr. Hockney’s family members is a printed mural, digitally produced on an iPad, of the garden at his 17th-century home in Normandy, France.
David Hockney’s latest exhibition pays tribute to members of his inner circle, including portraits of his sitters
Portrait of Thomas Mupfupi, one of David Hockney’s sitters
Portrait of Jack Ransome, who made Hockney’s glasses
Bradford native Hockney’s career spans more than six decades. He graduated from the Royal College of Art in London in 1962 and lived in the city until 1973.
He moved to Los Angeles in 1964 and did not return to Britain until 2003.
But he He returned to Los Angeles in 2013 following the death of his studio assistant. Dominic Elliot, 23, later died taking Class A drugs, alcohol and household drain cleaner at the artist’s home in Yorkshire.
In 2019, Mr. Hockney’s 1972 Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) was recorded as the highest price paid at auction for a painting by a living artist ($90.3 million), when it was sold in 2018.
He bought his house in Normandy the same year, before returning to England again in 2024. He has not publicly disclosed details of his health problems.
Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of the Serpentine, said: ‘David Hockney, 88, continues to explore the language of painting with extraordinary mastery, combining figurative and abstract modes across a panoramic frieze of still lifes, portraits and more than 100 iPad paintings.
‘In his new portraits he captures not only the sitters but also the act of seeing; The frieze offers a deeply personal meditation on the passage of time.’
Bettina Korek, managing director of the Serpentine, added: ‘David Hockney’s work invites us to slow down, look closely and reconnect with the world around us.’
