A MAJOR new exhibition of David Hockney’s work opens this weekend at the Royal Academy in London.
The Bradford-born artist turned away from painting and from his home in Bridlington when he returned to Los Angeles following the death of one of his aides.
Slowly he began to return to the quiet contemplation of portraiture, beginning with a depiction of his studio manager.
Over the months that followed, he became absorbed by the genre and invited sitters from all areas of his life into his studio.
His subjects – all friends, family and acquaintances – include office staff, fellow artists, curators and gallerists such as John Baldessari and Larry Gagosian.
Each work is the same size, showing his sitter in the same chair, against the same vivid blue background and all were painted in the same time frame of three days.
The exhibition, ‘David Hockney RA: 82 Portraits and 1 Still-life’, runs from July 2 to October 2.
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