Woman with a Sewing Machine (1954), is one of Hockney’s earliest forays into the medium of lithography. It was completed soon after the artist enrolled at the Bradford School of Art in 1953 at age 16. Hockney was overjoyed to leave grammar school and enrol at the art college. "It was thrilling," he said, "to be at a school where I knew I would enjoy everything they asked me to do. I loved it all and I used to spend twelve hours a day in the art school." The school emphasised the importance of observational drawing and traditional study of perspective, anatomy and tonal values. Despite his young age, Hockney’s adept understanding of draughtsmanship, colour and composition is evident in the prints he made at this time. This print, together with Fish and Chip Shop (1954), provides a tender insight into the artist's formative years and stands as one of the earliest and most rare prints produced by the artist.
The present lot depicts Hockney's mother, Laura, sat neatly before a large black sewing machine. She smiles contently and her gaze is directed outwards at the viewer. In the background, the vibrant hues of the fireplace and patterned wallpaper evoke their family living room. This personal, domestic interior bares close resemblance to Edouard Vuillard's lithographs of his own mother, a seamstress, engaged in her craft amidst patterned domestic surroundings. From this early point, Hockney began engaging in artistic dialogue with preceding modern masters and harnessing the potentials of graphic techniques – a practise he has consistently upheld throughout his career.
Edouard Vuillard, La Cuisinière, from "Landscapes and Interiors", 1899, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Image: © National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Rosenwald Collection, 1950.16.269 Provenance
The artist
Kasmin Gallery, London
Alan Cristea Gallery, London
Private Collection
Christie's London, Old Master, Modern and Contemporary Prints, 5 December 2000, lot 195
Alan Cristea Gallery, London
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner, circa 2000Literature
Scottish Arts Council 2
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo 2Artist 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.
7
Woman with a Sewing Machine (S.A.C. 2, M.C.A.T. 2)
1954
Lithograph in colours, on cartridge paper (backed to Japan), with wide margins.
I. 22.6 x 37.8 cm (8 7/8 x 14 7/8 in.)
S. 34.1 x 44.2 cm (13 3/8 x 17 3/8 in.)
A vibrant, rich impression, one of approximately 5 proofs of which only some were initialed (there was no published edition), printed by the artist, framed.
Estimate
£10,000 - 15,000 ♠
Sold for £21,590
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David Hockney
London Auction 21 September 2023
