Phillips auction house in London is betting on David Hockney by launching an annual auction dedicated to the artist’s work. This year’s Hockney auction, part of the Editions season, is due to take place on September 20 after a public display at Phillips’s Berkeley Square headquarters (September 14-20).
“This stand-alone Hockney auction will become a regular feature of Phillips’ London sales calendar and will feature a diverse selection of rare-to-market works, from all mediums and at a variety of price points,” a statement read. Works consigned this fall include two of Hockney’s earliest lithographs, both made in 1954: Fish and chips (estimated between £15,000 and £20,000) and Woman with a sewing machine (estimated between £10,000 and £15,000).
by David Hockney The arrival of spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty-one), 2 January, 2011
Estimate: £80,000-120,000
Courtesy of Philips
Phillips hopes to emulate his ‘white glove’ auction of 78 100% sold lots of Hockney’s works which was held last September and brought in a total of £3.3million. The top lot, The arrival of spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty-one) – 30 May, 2011, sold for £340,200 (with fees) against an estimate of £120,000-180,000. Another work from this series (The arrival of spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty-one), 2 January, 2011) will also feature in this year’s sale with an estimate of £80,000-£120,000.
The move follows many of Hockney’s high-profile projects, including his immersive art exhibition at the new Lightroom space in London (Bigger and closer, not smaller and farther), which has been extended until December 3, and the exhibition David Hockney: Drawing from Life launching at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London later this year (November 2-January 21, 2024). The NPG exhibition, which focuses on five models including textile designer Celia Birtwell, opened just 20 days before the gallery closed due to Covid-19 in March 2020.
Last year, Hockney showed off her latest iPad floral works in five of her regular galleries: LA Louver in Los Angeles, Galerie Lelong in Paris, Annely Juda Fine Art in London, Gray in Chicago and Pace in New York. Hockney turned 86 on July 9.
