Tate Britain will honor David Hockney with a retrospective exhibition in 2017


His works — characterized by a vibrant use of color, elegant finishes, and the experimental search—are coveted in the art market, and currently, carry prices that reach the seven figures.

In England, he is revered as an icon of contemporary culture, and for that reason, Tate Britain has decided to honor him in 2017 with the largest retrospective organized for the artist to date, and as a way to celebrate his 80th birthday.

The comprehensive exhibition, which will open on February 9, 2017, will cover the different facets of Hockney’s iconic career, incorporating paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and art videos.

The retrospective—probably one of the most significant exhibitions presented by Tate Britain during the year, and considered the most complete display of the artist’s work over the past three decades—will remain open until May 29, 2017.

David Hockney: Caribbean Tea Time

David Hockney. Amaryllis in Vase



David Hockney. Bedlam, 1961-63


The public will have the opportunity to admire works of the artist’s early stage as well as a comprehensive set of portraits of friends, relatives, and lovers, including his famous Self-portrait with Blue Guitar from 1977.

Visitors will also enjoy his dazzling reenactments of Los Angeles swimming pools— which are best-known among his American fans— or the striking paintings and watercolors inspired by the landscapes of his native Yorkshire.

David Hockney. Portrait of an artist (Pool with Two Figures), 1971

David Hockney. A Bigger Splash

Of course, the artist was flattered with the project and has devoted his usual vitality and energy to collaborate in locating key pieces for the exhibition. “It was a pleasure to visit works I did decades ago, including some of my first paintings. Some are already like old friends,” declared the British artist in a statement released by the Tate Gallery.

This is an invaluable opportunity to attend the review of an exceptional career in art and witness the evolving vision of a master of image and color through his fifty years of continuous artistic work.

David Hockney. Portrait of Mother I, 1985

According to Alex Farquharson, Director of the Gallery, this is a product of invaluable impact on the postwar aesthetics and the universal culture, fruit of the creativity of the talent of one of the best living artists in the United Kingdom. ■