David Hockney: 82 Portraits and 1 Still Life

by Tim Barringer, Tim Barringer (Contributor), Edith Devaney (Contributor)

Following his sweeping exploration of landscape in 2012 at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, published in the phe­nomenally successful David Hockney: A Bigger Picture, this new volume looks exclusively at the portraits that David Hockney, one of the most famous artists in the world, has been painting recently. In 2012, Hockney returned to California, where he had lived and worked for long periods. There followed a series of painted portraits, the subjects of which ranged from studio assistants and office staff to family, friends, and long-term acquaintances. Also included are a number of fellow artists, curators, and gallerists, including John Baldessari and Larry Gagosian. Reproduced in stunning colorplates along with two important new texts, this vivid series of portraits, executed in bold acrylics, is observant and full of life, marking Hockney’s vibrant return to Technicolor form.

Genres: Art, Art History

176 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 2016

About the author

Tim Barringer is Paul Mellon Professor of the History of Art at Yale University.

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disappointing, both the book and the portraits. The information about the development of Hockney’s portraiture was good, but some of the observations were superficial.

Currently Hockney insists on painting portraits from life, but his earlier work done from photographs seems more accurate. Some of his recent portraits are unconvincing. I wonder if his eyesight is slipping.

Lucian Freud’s portrait of Hockney, reflecting hours and hours of sitting, is amazing! By contrast, Hockney’s watercolor portrait of Freud seems rushed and mediocre. Hockney’s style is much different from Freud’s and maybe his adopting some of Freud’s method doesn’t work.