David Hockney (*1937) has constantly reinvented himself: Not only with the famous iPad pictures of recent years has the artist integrated new media into his work and tested their limits and possibilities. In the early 2000s, he was already experimenting with Wacom tablets and Photoshop, and in the 1980s with the Quantel Paintbox, which also allowed him to paint directly on the screen. However, the life-affirming Hockney has not only made technical journeys, but also explored the complexity of human existence. In the course of the 1980s, he slowly shifted his focus to landscape painting; even in old age, he creates them en plain air. Hockney, one of the most influential artists since the 1960s, also created charcoal drawings, photo collages and immersive video installations, among other things. The artist's most extensive exhibition to date can be seen at the Louis Vitton Foundation in Paris until August 31: David Hockney, 25 brings together over 400 works from the years 1955 to 2025.
Visitors can expect to see numerous iconic paintings such as A Bigger Splash (1967), Portrait of An Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972) and A Bigger Grand Canyon (1988), in which different views of the Grand Canyon merge at different times of day. Less frequently seen works such as the early Portrait of My Father (1955) and newly created works such as After Munch: Less is Known than People Think (2023) or a self-portrait from 2025 also find their rightful place. Hockney, a great opera fan, has been designing stage sets since the 1970s, which he has reinterpreted for this exhibition with musical accompaniment.
