If you’ve ever dreamt of owning a piece by the iconic, prolific, and very valuable artist David Hockney, this might be your week. On Thursday evening, Phillips auction house will host its fourth-annual sale of prints by the British painter, a tradition amidst each fall’s Editions sales—which this year features a sale of prints and sculptures by stars like Pablo Picasso and Damien Hirst, plus photos, prints, and more from the collection of Dutch collector Frans Oomen.
While over half the offerings in this week’s 38-lot Hockney sale are slated to sell for five figures, there are six works that prospective collectors could get for less than $2,000. However, given the ever-growing interest that the 88 year-old Hockney continually enjoys, bidding wars may ensue. According to a press release, the previous three Hockney auctions boasted a 98 percent sell-through rate—and set 65 world records. Nearly a third of buyers in these sales have been 40 and under.
Hockney’s not quite as ubiquitous as his fellow Pop artist Andy Warhol, but he does have a distinctive style you’ve definitely seen before. After graduating from the Royal College of London in 1962, Hockney moved to L.A., where he settled more permanently in the late 1970s, earning fame for his technicolor portraits and scenes of Hollywood Hills backyards. His most famous painting, “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” (1972) sold with Christie’s for $90 million in 2018, unseating a Jeff Koons sculpture as the priciest work by a living artist. (Koons reclaimed the spot in 2019.)
Every single one of the 78 lots sold in Hockney’s unwitting inaugural Phillips print auction previously sold in 2022. The headlining work, “The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven)” sold for $421,500, twice its estimate. Thus, a tradition began. Even in this market, Hockney’s clout keeps growing. Four of the 10 most expensive Post-War works sold last year were his. He also keeps pushing his practice with new technologies—like the controversial camera lucida and iPads—while taking on high profile projects, like his (also controversial) redesign of Piccadilly Circus’s logo in 2020 and his buzzy show at the Fondation Louis Vuitton this summer. As you’ve likely gathered by now, Hockney has a strong personality.
Phillips procured the prints in this week’s auction from private collectors around the world—another testament to Hockney’s reputation. “Part of the excitement in the auction world is that each season brings fresh surprises,” Robert Kennan, Phillips’ Head of Editions, Europe told Maxim over email. “This year’s sale brings together a strong group of iPad works alongside many pieces from Hockney’s Moving Focus series of the late 1980s. Together, they highlight both his groundbreaking digital practice and his iconic explorations of space and perspective.”
There’s definitely a wide range of eras and styles included. Hockney created the grayscale “Kaisarion With All His Beauty (S.A.C. 8, M.C.A.T. 8)” (1961)—the earliest work up for grabs this week, and the first lot slated to hit the block—while he finished his studies. This copy is an artist proof from a run of 50 prints. It’s expected to rake in $8,675 to $12,393. Meanwhile, the sale’s top lot, the eighth iteration from a 25-copy run of Hockney’s iPad work Two Robes (2010), could fetch anywhere from $61,965 to $86,750. In the 10 years since Hockney started making these digital drawings, his floral still lifes have become a fan favorite. But, Kennan cited his warm work “A Bigger Fire” (2020) (est. $24,786 – $37,179), from his My Normandy series, amongst the sale’s special gems. “There’s every reason to believe this annual sale will remain a fixture,” he said. Alas, art is unpredictable.
