David Hockney OM, RA

(b. 1937)

David Hockney is a British painter, draughtsman, photographer, and printmaker, widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the post-war period. Associated with the emergence of British Pop Art in the 1960s, his work spans painting, drawing, photography, stage design, and digital media, and is celebrated for its vivid colour, inventive compositions, and exploration of perception and space. Printmaking has remained central to Hockney’s practice throughout his career. Working across etching, lithography, and more recently digital processes, he has used print as a means of experimentation and serial exploration. His lithographs often demonstrate the same fluid draughtsmanship and bold use of colour found in his paintings. Hockney collaborated with Stanley Jones at Curwen Studio during the late 1960s and 1970s, producing a number of lithographs including Lilies and portrait studies such as The Print Collector, (Portrait of Felix Mann). These prints reflect the close working relationship between artist and printer, and demonstrate Hockney’s ability to adapt his observational style and compositional clarity to the medium of lithography. His work with Curwen forms part of a significant period of innovation in British printmaking.