It is with great pleasure that Pace Prints presents Etchings by David Hockney; works from a major printmaking collaboration with his longtime friend and etcher, Maurice Payne, published in 1998. It was Payne’s availability, skill and patience that allowed Hockney the freedom to make these prints while simultaneously maintaining his daily painting routine.
In this body of etchings, all BAT (bon à tirer) proofs, Hockney utilizes both painterly and extremely detailed mark making techniques. Via softground etching, aquatint and drypoint, he creates a volumetric body of works based on the intimate visual diary of the artist’s life. Portraits of Maurice, Celia and Brenda are on view alongside the Van Gogh Chair, Wooden Stool with Book, among others.
Hockney is widely known for his originality as a printmaker. His large body of graphic works, concentrating specifically in etching and lithography, have assured him an important place in modern British and American art.
David Hockney was born in 1937 in Bradford, England. Hockney made apparent his facility as a draughtsman while studying at Bradford School of Art between 1953 and 1957, producing portraits and observations of his surroundings under the influence of the Euston Road School and of Stanley Spencer. He studied at the Royal College of Art, London from 1969-1961. He was awarded the Royal College of Art gold medal for his year in 1962. Initially regarded by critics as part of the wave of Pop art that emanated from the Royal College of Art, Hockney’s style evolved when he moved to California. His work began to evoke escapist instincts, alongside of his visual wit and colorful panache.