The Morgan Library and Museum

David Hockney is one of the most internationally respected and renowned artists alive today. This exhibition is the first to focus on his portraits on paper and one of very few exhibitions to investigate his drawing practice. Featuring about 100 drawings, the exhibition traces a trajectory from Hockney’s early works as a student, to his Ingres-like portraits of the 1970s, and his return to the sketchbooks in the early 2000s.

The exhibition is unique in exploring Hockney’s practice on paper through a small group of sitters he has depicted repeatedly over the years: his muse and confidante, the designer Celia Birtwell; his mother; his friend and curator Gregory Evans, master printer Maurice Payne; and the artist himself. Each of these individuals have been important to Hockney. Over time he has rendered them in different forms: pencil, pen and ink, etchings, photocollages, iphone and ipad drawings. In re-visiting these people over decades, Hockney gives us a unique insight into how his practice has evolved over time.

David Hockney: Drawing from Life is on view by appointment from October 2, 2020 through May 30, 2021.