All posts tagged: Hockney

David Hockney Says ‘There’s Too Much Abstraction in the Art World’

David Hockney Says ‘There’s Too Much Abstraction in the Art World’

Published by José Betancourt

At the ripe old age of 88, David Hockney has sounded a warning to the art world: “There’s much too much abstract painting being done now.” He was recently speaking to the Times from his Kensington studio while recovering from an infection, and he was discussing his latest exhibition, “A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts About Painting” at the Serpentine, which he was unable to attend in person. The show runs through August 23 and stretches nearly 300 feet, presenting a sweeping frieze of iPad drawings depicting the gardens of his Normandy home across all four seasons. Hockney’s work emphasizes observation and representation, a deliberate counterpoint to the abstraction dominating contemporary art. “Photography can’t replace painting at all, but painting has to be of something,” he said. Related Articles In addition to the landscape sequence, the exhibition includes portraits and still lifes set on reverse-perspective checkered tablecloths. These works reference abstract painters such as Mark Rothko and Gerhard Richter yet remain grounded in figurative representation. Hockney has experimented with a new stippling technique, …

Massive Hockney Print to Headline Christie’s Spring Print Sales

Massive Hockney Print to Headline Christie’s Spring Print Sales

Published by José Betancourt

A massive print by David Hockney is slated to headline Christie’s London spring prints season. Titled Autour de la maison, été (2019) and measuring almost 40 feet, it carries a high estimate of £300,000 ($400,000). The work is printed on a single sheet of paper. Not only is it among Hockney’s largest prints but also one of the most ambitious works in his printmaking career. It depicts the British artist’s home and garden in Normandy at the height of summer. Trees, grass, and hedgerows frame a scene including medieval barns, a swing set, a treehouse, and parked vehicles. Related Articles James Baskerville, international head of Contemporary Edition at Christie’s, said the scale of the work transforms the experience of looking at a print. “With Autour de la maison, été, Hockney expands the possibilities of printmaking to an almost cinematic scale,” he told ARTnews. “The work invites the viewer to move through the artist’s Normandy garden as though reading a continuous pictorial frieze.” Baskerville also pointed to the influence of the medieval Bayeux Tapestry in the …

Hockney scrolls through Bayeux, Brideshead gets revisited and Stubbs leads the field – the week in art | Art and design

Hockney scrolls through Bayeux, Brideshead gets revisited and Stubbs leads the field – the week in art | Art and design

Published by Sam Flores

Exhibition of the week Stubbs: Portrait of a HorseGeorge Stubbs’s emotional, sublime equine portrait Whistlejacket is rightly one of the best loved paintings in the National Gallery. This exhibition takes a closer look at what makes his paintings of horses unforgettable. National Gallery, London, from 12 March to 31 May Also showing David HockneyPictures from his time living in Normandy, reflecting on the Bayeux tapestry and more. Serpentine North Gallery, London, from 12 March to 23 August Sir John Vanbrugh A look at the stunning imagination of the architect of Brideshead, sorry, Castle Howard. Sir John Soane’s Museum, London, until 28 June Deutsche Börse photography prize What makes a powerful photograph, and is the criteria changing in the AI age? See this year’s shortlisted artists including Rene Matić who recently missed out on the Turner prize. Photographers’ Gallery, London, until 7 June Sarah Morris: Snow Leopards and SkyscrapersAbstract art that comes more from the brain than the heart, marking Morris’s three decades with this gallery. White Cube Mason’s Yard, London, from 11 March to 9 …

David Hockney to Paint Window Installation at Turner Contemporary

David Hockney to Paint Window Installation at Turner Contemporary

Published by Jenni Sidey

This spring, David Hockney will unveil a major new work at Turner Contemporary in Margate, UK, as part of the gallery’s 15th-anniversary celebrations. The piece, a massive 22-by-32-foot installation, will transform the museum’s floor-to-ceiling window in the Sunley Gallery overlooking Margate’s beaches and the North Sea. Running from April 1 to November 1, the window work depicts a sunrise in Normandy, based on an iPad painting Hockney created in 2020. Clarrie Wallis, the director of Turner Contemporary, said in a statement that “illuminated at night, the work becomes a point of light on the seafront.” Related Articles Turner Contemporary, which opened in 2011 and welcomed over 322,000 visitors in the 2023-24 year, is inspired by the life and work of JMW Turner. Hockney has said he draws inspiration from the iconic landscape painter; back in 2007, the Bradford-born artist co-curated an exhibition of Turner’s watercolours at Tate Britain. Hockney fever shows no sign of slowing down in the UK. Next month, London’s Serpentine Galleries opens its first-ever show by the octogenarian artist from March 12 …

‘Something will go wrong’: Why readers agree with David Hockney – the Bayeux Tapestry should stay in France

‘Something will go wrong’: Why readers agree with David Hockney – the Bayeux Tapestry should stay in France

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Independent readers have come out strongly against plans to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK following an intervention by David Hockney. The reaction follows an exclusive piece for The Independent by Hockney, in which the artist condemned the proposal as “madness” and warned it could cause irreversible damage to the fragile medieval artwork. Responding to his column, reader opposition was emphatic, with a poll showing 79 per cent also believe the tapestry should be left in France. The 11th-century work looks set to be transported from Bayeux to the British Museum for a nine-month exhibition later this year. But, writing exclusively for The Independent, Hockney argued the risks of moving the tapestry far outweigh any symbolic or educational value. Many readers echoed those concerns. Commenters repeatedly argued that the tapestry is best seen in its original setting and that relocating it to London would …

David Hockney: Why it’s madness to move the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain

David Hockney: Why it’s madness to move the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Some things are too precious to take a risk with. Moving the Bayeux Tapestry is one of them. It is nearly a thousand years old, the most complete narrative work of art in Europe, and remember it is very long, more than 70 metres in length. It is fragile, which makes it madness to think of moving it. It is too big a risk. I first saw the tapestry in 1967 and have seen it more than 20 times in the last three years. And it is beautiful as well as historically important. Backed on linen, the colours and the marvellous needlework make it not just vulnerable, but it will be put in jeopardy if it is moved to London, as the British Museum plans an exhibition there. I think it should not be uprooted from where it has been kept …