OVER 61,000 people visited a gallery dedicated to Bradford artist David Hockney since it opened last year.

The Hockney Gallery at Cartwright Hall, in Lister Park opened last July - timed to coincide with the acclaimed artist’s 80th birthday.

This week the gallery welcomed a new addition - My Parents (1977) which has come on temporary loan from the Tate Gallery. Recently voted the nation’s favourite painting, it depicts Hockney’s mother father, Laura and Kenneth.

It was recently on display in The Met in New York and the Pompidou on Paris.

In the painting both parents are seated, his father is engrossed in a book while his mother looks out of the painting at the artist.

It also features Hockney works like Le Plongeur.

The gallery told the Telegraph & Argus that around 61,000 had visited the gallery in its first year, with 1,500 schoolchildren attending workshops based on the artist.

It also received Highly Commended for Best Permanent Display at the Museum & Heritage Awards 2018.

To mark the anniversary of the gallery there will be a series of events this weekend.

Family Portrait workshops are being run by Bradford based artist Lou Sumray today and tomorrow, encouraging people to celebrate David Hockney’s birthday and‘My Parents’ by creating a mass participation family portrait.

Today’s workshop will see pieces created in black and white include drawing and printmaking, while the Sunday workshop will add colour.

As part of the Bradford Literature Festival, Sunday will also see an event celebrating the poetry that inspired Hockney. The artist channelled his love of writers like Wallace Stevens, Walt Whitman and CP Cavafy into his art and the event will highlight the poetic inspiration behind his work with captivating renditions of poems, performed by the National Youth Theatre.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “The year since the Hockney Gallery opened has flown by and we have had so many fantastic events and workshops bringing the work of David Hockney to life for our visitors. These events to celebrate the gallery’s first anniversary continue that work.

“I am delighted, that through the hard work of our staff, we are able to exhibit Hockney’s fabulous ‘My Parents’ painting at our gallery, especially since it has been shown at such prestigious galleries around the world.”

My Parents will be on display in the gallery until December 17.