David Hockney, Piscine à minuit, Paper Pool 19, 1978. Gift of Ken and Lindsay Tyler, 1983. Courtesy Walker Art Center.

First gaining attention in the 1960s Pop era with his brightly colored portraits and landscapes, David Hockney (UK, b. 1937) has remained a constant presence in contemporary art, revisiting and reinterpreting favorite themes over six decades through experimentation with a range of media, from painting and printmaking to theater set design and, more recently, digital media. Hockney is now considered not only one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century but also a key contributor to the art of Los Angeles, one of his adopted homes.

Drawn from the Walker’s substantial holding of works by Hockney—including paintings, prints, drawings, and theatrical works—David Hockney: People, Places & Things will be on view at the Walker from December 18, 2021–August 21, 2022.

The exhibition is divided into several sections, beginning with a selection of works on paper featuring Hockney’s intimate portraits of friends and family members. Another grouping focuses on his passion for still lifes and simple domestic scenes, including the Southern California swimming pool, which he explores through a range of works.

Designing sets for stage and opera productions has been an important part of Hockney’s artistic activity through the decades, and was the focus of the 1983 Walker exhibition Hockney Paints the Stage. This presentation includes the artist’s tour-de-force set design for Poulenc’s opera Les Mamelles de Tirésias (The Breasts of Tirésias) (1983).

Hockney’s career-long engagement with the subject of landscape, from the Hollywood Hills to Mexico to Yorkshire, England, is the subject of another group of works. The section features large-scale prints from the artist’s travels as well as more recent explorations of landscape made using digital media, such as an iPad. Together, the personal and often exuberant works in the exhibition show an artist consistently engaged with experimentation and self-reflection.]

 Images:

David Hockney "An Image of Celia" 1984 Lithograph, screen print, collage, hand-painted frame Edition of 40 59 1/2" x 41"© David Hockney / Tyler Graphics Ltd. Photo Credit: Richard Schmidt

David Hockney "Breakfast with Stanley in Malibu" 1989 Fax print on paper 8 1/2 x 14" each of 24 51 x 56" Overall © David Hockney Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

David Hockney "Celia Inquiring" 1979 Lithograph Edition of 78 40 x 29"© David Hockney / Gemini G.E.L.

David Hockney "Green Pool with Diving Board and Shadow (Paper Pool 3)" 1978 Colored and pressed paper pulp Edition of 15 Variations 50 x 32"© David Hockney / Tyler Graphics Ltd.

David Hockney "Hollywood Hills House" 1981 - 1982 Oil, charcoal and collage on canvas 60 x 120"© David Hockney Photo Credit: Fabrice Gibert Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

David Hockney "Joe with David Harte" 1979 Lithograph Edition of 39 47 1/4" x 31 5/8"© David Hockney / Tyler Graphics Ltd.

David Hockney, Piscine à minuit, Paper Pool 19, 1978. Gift of Ken and Lindsay Tyler, 1983. Courtesy Walker Art Center.

David Hockney "Potted Daffodils" 1980 Lithograph Edition of 98 44" x 30"© David Hockney / Tyler Graphics Ltd.

David Hockney "The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) - 11 May" iPad drawing printed on paper Edition of 25 55 x 41 1/2"© David Hockney

David Hockney "Hotel Acatlan: Second Day" 1984 Lithograph Edition of 98 28 3/4" x 76" overall size © David Hockney / Tyler Graphics Ltd.

David Hockney, Gregory in the Pool (Paper Pool 4), 1978. Collection Walker Art Center, Tyler Graphics Archive, 1983. Courtesy David Hockney.