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David Hockney

Illustrations for Fourteen Poems by C.P. Cavafy

Estimate
£12,000–18,000♠︎
Sold For
£27,500
1966/67
The complete set of 13 etchings with aquatint, on handmade vellum wove paper, hors texte, with title page and justification,
66 x 52.7 x 4.6 cm (25 7/8 x 20 3/4 x 1 3/4 in.)
edition E, each plate signed, dated '66' and annotated 'AP' in pencil (one of 5 artist's proofs, aside from the edition of 25), published by Editions Alecto, London, all sheets, loose (as issued), each within a separate folder containing the respective poem, all generally in very good condition, contained within the original black leather portfolio box.
Read Conditions of Sale
Titles include: Portrait of Cavafy in Alexandria (Pl. 1); Two Boys Aged 23 or 24 (Pl. 2); He Enquired after the Quality (Pl. 3); To Remain (Pl. 4); According to Prescriptions of Ancient Magicians (Pl. 5); In an Old Book (Pl. 6); The Shop Window of a Tobacco Store (Pl. 7); In the Dull Village (Pl. 8); The Beginning (Pl. 9); One Night (Pl. 10); In Despair (Pl. 11); Beautiful and White Flowers (Pl. 12) and Portrait of Cavafy II (Pl. 13).

"I think I did 12 . . . 12 etchings. Some were drawn from life, some were drawn from my drawings, some were drawn from photographs. I was rather proud of it at the time, and yeah, I would have thought of it as good propaganda, I would. And [it] probably helped a little bit. And I would always defend my life as it were - what I was up to. I wasn't speaking for anybody else, but I would certainly defend my way of living, yes. I've never really been an activist, only in my work - that's my job, to do my work, not to spend it doing anything else. But if I played a little part in it, I'm proud. I might have done, I think . . . made people open their lives a little bit, perhaps. I'd like to think that.”
David Hockney, quoted in Neil MacGregor’s discussion of In the Dull Village, chosen to be included in The British Museum’s A History of the World in 100 Objects

David Hockney

British | B. 1937 D. 2026

David Hockney is one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. With a career spanning over seven decades, Hockney’s practise embraced many mediums including painting, edition-making, and collage, with his more recent digital iPad drawings defining the later part of his career. From semi-abstract representations of domestic life and vibrant still-lifes, to detailed portraits of his closest friends, Hockney’s artworks are nothing short of electric, reflecting the eccentric personality of one of Britain’s greatest artists. 

Hockney’s works have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, among many other institutions. On the secondary market, his work has sold for more than $90 million.

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