“I draw flowers every day and send them to my friends so they get fresh blooms every morning.”
—David HockneyWhen discussing his 2021 series of flower still lifes drawn on his iPad, David Hockney recalled: “I was just sitting at the table in our house and I caught sight of some flowers in a vase on the table. Being February, the sun was low, casting a deep shadow on the table. I decided to draw it, the background was dark, so I made a rich brown for it. After printing it, I put it on the far wall facing the table. There it stayed for a few days. It looked very beautiful to me… A few days later, I started another from the same position with the same ceramic vase… I then realised if I put the flowers in a glass vase the sun would catch the water, and painting glass would be a more interesting thing to do. So then I was off.”
Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1889, Philadelphia Museum of Art. Image: Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Mr. and Mrs. Carroll S. Tyson, Jr., Collection, 1963 Since the 1960s, flowers have been a central theme of Hockney’s output and, in particular, printmaking. From etchings to lithographs to iPad drawings, the humble vase of flowers has been under constant review by the British artist. A keen student of this art historical tradition, Hockney was initially drawn to Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings from the late 1880s and, throughout the years, much like van Gogh, Hockney has repeatedly returned to the subject. This exploration of the floral still life as a formal composition has further provided him with a means of exploring medium. Showcasing his mastery of the various printing methods, Hockney’s depictions of flowers are delicate and moving works exemplar of the development of his unique style, his excitement regarding new printing techniques, and his endless experimentations with colour, form, and line.
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Provenance
Pace Editions, New York
Private Collection, New YorkArtist Biography
David Hockney
David Hockney (b. 1937) is one of the most well-known and celebrated artists of the
20th and 21st centuries. He works across many mediums, including painting, collage,
and more recently digitally, by creating print series on iPads. His works show semi-
abstract representations of domestic life, human relationships, floral, fauna, and the
changing of seasons.
Hockney has 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.
30
4th February 2021, Flowers in a White Vase with Chair
2021
iPad drawing in colours, printed on wove paper, with full margins.
I. 76.4 x 53.5 cm (30 1/8 x 21 1/8 in.)
S. 88.9 x 63.5 cm (35 x 25 in.)
Signed, dated and numbered 35/50 in pencil, published by the artist (with his blindstamp), framed.
Estimate
£25,000 - 35,000 ‡♠
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Evening & Day Editions
London Auction 23 - 24 January 2025
