1976

At the very start of the year, Hockney takes two weeks to drive cross-country, from New York to Los Angeles, with Gregory Evans; in March, the pair make a trip to Australia [NESTED]and New Zealand. In L.A., Hockney works with Gemini G.E.L. on a series of lithographs, Friends—highly precise portraits of Evans, the fashion model Joe MacDonald, and American film director Billy Wilder, among others.

Joe McDonald

Gregory Evans

Brooke Hopper

Mo McDermott

Nicholas Wilder

Billy Wilder

Henry Geldzahler with Hat

Michael Crichton

Donald Cribb

Small Head of Gregory

Peter Schlesinger

Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy

Henry Seated with Tulips

Henry at Table

Sidney in His Office

Gregory Reclining

Gregory with Gym Socks

Henry in his Office

Henry with Cigar

Henry Reading the Newspaper

Maurice with Flowers

See Friends (Gemini G.E.L. 1976 Portfolio)

Hockney’s exercises in close observation have him once more ruminating on photography and its representational limits relative to painting. His output as a photographer, which he typically gathers in albums of his source imagery and daily life, attracts connoisseurs to his portfolio Twenty Photographic Pictures shown at Sonnabend Gallery in New York.

John St. Clair Swimming, April 1972 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney", 1976

Pink Hose, May 1974 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Steps Into Water, May 1975 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

My Parents, Bradford, July 1975 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Two Lemons and Four Limes, Santa Monica, 1971 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Peter Showering, Paris, July 1975 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

The Pacific Ocean at Malibu, April 1973 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

A Neat Window, Santa Monica, April 1973 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Jean in the Luxembourg Gardens, June 1974 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Tennis Court, Berkeley, November 1971 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Hollywood Window, April 1973 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Sur Le Motif, May 1974 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Henry Avoiding the Sun, August 1975 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Pretty Tulips, February 1970 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Yves-Marie Asleep, May 1974 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Peter Washing, Belgrade, September 1970 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Still Life with Hats, August 1973 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Tidied Up Beach, Viareggio, August 1973 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

John St. Clair Swimming, April 1972 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

The Pines, Fire Island, August 1975 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Herrenhausen, Hannover, May 1970 from "Twenty Photographic Pictures by David Hockney"

Upon its publication, David Hockney by David Hockney: My Early Years, 25 hours of the artist’s musings on life and art recorded over three days and redacted into book form by editor Nikos Stangos, exceeds sales [NESTED]expectations, requiring a second printing within the year. Hockney admits to close friends that he hadn’t realized his “autobiography” would bring such public scrutiny.

The book has been an enormous success here, and overpraised almost everywhere. It’s put me off going to parties—the last one I went to a lady told me she had three copies given for Christmas, I laughed but I can’t face talking about it to another person.

Fire Island Interior

Solo

David Hockney, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk (Feb 7–Mar 7).
Obra Gráfica 1961–1974, Galeria Eude, Barcelona (Mar); catalogue.
David Hockney, Sonja Henie og Niels Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden (Mar–Apr); organized by the Arts Council of Great Britain; travels to Göteborgs Konstmuseum; catalogue.
Etchings Illustrating Six Fairy Tales after the Brothers Grimm, Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles (Mar 8–31).
David Hockney Prints Selected from the Collection of the Australian National Gallery, Canberra, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (opens Apr 22); travels throughout Australia; catalogue.
Works with the Eye, Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles (May 11–29).
David Hockney, Festival Gallery, Bath (May 28–Jun 19).
Drawings and Prints, Davis and Long, New York (Jun 7–25).
Paintings, Drawings and Prints, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne (Jun 15–Jul 12); catalogue.
David Hockney, Sonnabend Gallery, New York (Oct).
Drawings and Paintings 1960–1965, Waddington Galleries, London (Nov 2–27); catalogue.
Color Photographs, Broxton Gallery, Los Angeles (Nov 13–Dec 11).
Twenty Photographic Pictures, Sonnabend Gallery, New York (opens Dec 1).
David Hockney: Dibujos y obra gráfica, Galería Juana Mordo, Madrid (Dec); travels as David Hockney: Gravura e Desenho to Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon (Jul–Aug, 1977); catalogue.
David Hockney: Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The Rake’s Progress, Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, U.K.

Group

Drawing Now 1955–1975, Museum of Modern Art, New York (Jan 21–Mar 9); catalogue.
Pop Art in New England: Anfänge einer neuen Figuration, 1947–1963, Kunstverein in Hamburg (Feb 7–Mar 21); travels to Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich (Apr 3–May 16) and York City Art Gallery (May 29–Jul 11); catalogue.
Peter Blake, Richard Hamilton, David Hockney, R. B. Kitaj, Eduardo Paolozzi, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam (May 20–Jul 4); catalogue.

Publication

David Hockney by David Hockney: My Early Years, edited by Nikos Stangos, introduction by Henry Geldzahler, London: Thames & Hudson; New York: Harry N. Abrams.

Friends

Twenty Photographic Pictures

David Hockney by David Hockney

Exhibitions

Publication