DAVID HOCKNEY

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo is pleased to present the exhibition DAVID HOCKNEY (organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, The Yomiuri Shimbun) from July 15th to November 5th, 2023. This is the first large scale solo exhibition in Japan in 27 years devoted to British artist David Hockney (b.1937 in Bradford UK) who is regarded as one of the most innovative artists of the postwar era.

Hockney has produced diverse works in a variety of fields including painting, drawing, print work, photography, and stage design for over 60 years. Featuring a selection of 120 or so works including a number of the artist’s representative works produced in the UK and Los Angeles, the series of recent large scale paintings The Arrival of Spring, and a 90-meter long new work drawn using the iPad during the lockdown period for COVID-19, the exhibition serves as an opportunity to fully experience the world of Hockney’s oeuvre.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo houses 150 works by Hockney in its collection, and shortly after its opening, presented the exhibition David Hockney: Prints 1954 – 1995 in 1996. This long-awaited solo exhibition is conceived as a result of this ongoing relationship between the artist and the museum, and is realized in full collaboration with the artist.

No. 118, 16th March 2020, from "The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020", 2020, iPad painting printed on paper, 56.3 x 75.0 cm, Collection of the artist © David Hockney

Highlights

The first large scale solo exhibition in Japan in 27 years

This is Hockney’s first large scale solo museum exhibition to be held in Japan in 27 years, since his previous show in 1996. Hockney has presented numerous exhibitions centering in Europe and the United States, and with both solo exhibitions at the Royal Academy (London) in 2012 and Center Pompidou (Paris) in 2017 attracting more than 600,000 visitors each, Hockney can indeed be regarded as one of the most popular artists in the world today. This exhibition, which traces over 60 years of Hockney's career through a diverse selection of representative works, will be the most comprehensive exhibition ever held in Japan.

Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy, 1970-71, Acrylic on canvas, 213.4 x 304.8 cm, Tate: Presented by the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1971 © David Hockney

The first showing in Asia of Hockney’s recent representative series The Arrival of Spring

Measuring approx. 10-meters wide by 3.5-meters high, Hockney’s oil painting, The Arrival of Spring, Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011(twenty eleven), created in 2011 in Hockney's hometown in East Yorkshire in England, will be exhibited for the first time in Asia. 12 large sized iPad drawings printed on paper will also be exhibited for the first time in Japan. Hockney’s remarkable works that dynamically capture the arrival of the vernal season through a rich sense of color are truly a sight to behold.

The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven), 2011, Oil on 32 canvases (91.5 x 122 cm each), 365.6 x 975.2 cm, Centre Pompidou, Paris. Musée national d'art moderne-Centre de création industrielle © David Hockney Photo: Richard Schmidt

Experiencing the world of David Hockney, an artist of our times: A new 90-meter long scroll painting is a must-see, and one of his latest self-portraits is unveiled to the public for the first time in the world

Hockney, who turns 86 years old in 2023, continues to devote himself to producing works and further innovating his art. The exhibition introduces Hockney’s current life and practice, as an artist who has constantly been at the forefront of the contemporary art scene for over 60 years and remains on his pursuit to actively present new works. The new works produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a way that transcends differences in countries, cultures, and generations, contain messages that can be felt by us viewers because we are indeed living in the same age. We welcome visitors to take this opportunity to directly witness and experience the many works that can only be encountered in these very times.

  • David Hockney, Self Portrait, 10th December 2021, 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 91.4 x 76.2 cm, Collection of the artist © David Hockney Photo: Jonathan Wilkinson

Profile

  • David Hockney in Normandy, April 1st 2021 © David Hockney Photo: Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima


  • DAVID HOCKNEY


    David Hockney was born in Bradford, England, in 1937, and is currently working in Normandy, France. He studied at Bradford College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. Upon moving to Los Angeles in 1964, he came into the international limelight with his works depicting life in sunny California. For over sixty years, he has explored and experimented with image-making. A major retrospective of his work was organized by Tate Britain, the Centre Pompidou, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2017 in honor of his life as he reached his 80th birthday. The exhibition broke the record for visitor numbers at Tate Britain, with about a half million visitors. David Hockney is one of the most versatile artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Information

Exhibition Period

Saturday, 15 July 2023 - Sunday, 5 November 2023

Closed

Mondays (except 17 Jul., 18 Sep., 9 Oct.) and 18 Jul., 19 Sep., 10 Oct.

Opening Hours

10 AM - 6 PM (Tickets available until 30 minutes before closing.)

Venue

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Exhibition Gallery 1F/3F

Admission

Adults: 2,300 yen / University & college students and over 65 years old: 1,600 yen / High school & junior high school students: 1,000 yen / Elementary school students and younger: free

【Available Only Online】Weekday Discount Pair Ticket 4,000 yen / Special Ticket with Original Item 4,400 yen (2 types / limited to 200 tickets each )

【Combined Ticket】DAVID HOCKNEY+"How I feel is not your problem, period."
Adults: 3,200 yen / University & college students and over 65 years old: 2,100 yen / High school & junior high school students: 1,250 yen

* 20% discount for a group of over 20 people (not applicable for Combined Ticket)
* Ticket includes admission to the MOT Collection exhibition.
* Children younger than elementary school age need to be accompanied by a guardian.
* Persons with a Physical Disability Certificate, Intellectual Disability Certificate, Intellectual Disability Welfare Certificate, or Atomic Bomb Survivor Welfare Certificate as well as up to two attendants are admitted free of charge.

ONLINE TICKETS (first term: 15 Jul. - 15 Sep.)

Organized by

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, The Yomiuri Shimbun

With the special sponsorship of

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With the sponsorship of

Dai Nippon Printing (DNP), Sompo Holdings, Inc.

Supported by

Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., YAMATO TRANSPORT CO.,LTD., J-WAVE

Grant support by

British Council

*This exhibition is held only at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and has not been and will not be traveling in Japan or overseas.

Exhibition Catalogue

The exhibition catalogue of "David Hockney". Cover artwork by David Hockney, A Year in Normandie (detail), 2020-2021. © David Hockney

  • Artwork by David Hockney, A Lawn Sprinkler, 1967. © David Hockney

  • Artwork by David Hockney, Walking in the Zen Garden at the Ryoanji Temple, Kyoto, Feb. 1983. (detail) © David Hockney

  • Artwork by David Hockney, A Year in Normandie (detail), 2020-2021. © David Hockney

The official catalogue of the DAVID HOCKNEY exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. It includes images of all the 127 exhibited works in color, with a special feature of the 90-meter-long masterpiece, A Year in Normandie, along with a curator's essay, a conversation with Hockney, and other texts newly translated to Japanese.

Pages: 248 pages
Language: English/Japanese
Publishers: The Yomiuri Shimbun, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Supervisors: Jonathan Wilkinson, David Hockney Inc.
Authors: David Hockney, Marco Livingstone, Pierre Restany (conversation), Sarah Howgate (conversation, National Portrait Gallery, London), Ai Kusumoto (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)
Art director/designer: Kenta Shibano (Live Art Books)

First published on 14 July 2023
Price: 3,300 yen (including tax)
Available at the DAVID HOCKNEY exhibition shop, museum shop (NADiff Contemporary), selected bookshops, and NADiff Online Store (overseas shipping available).

Special items for the Exhibition

Ⓒ David Hockney

  • PAPER FAN / 8 types / ¥3,080 each

  • TOTE BAG (Full print) / 2 types / ¥6,380 each

  • POUCH / 2 types / ¥3,740 each

  • RANDOM KEYCHAIN / ¥550 each

  • 2024 CALENDAR / ¥1,980

  • POSTER (364×515mm) / 4 types / ¥2,200 each

*All prices include tax

・Special items are available only at the shop in the exhibition gallery except for the exhibition catalog.
・No re-entry to the exhibition gallery.
・A single purchase per person only.
・Limit 5 per product (except for the exhibition catalog).
・Some products may sell out, be delayed, be suspended, and/or be on backorder.
・New products may be released.
・Purchase for resale and resale are strictly prohibited.
・All products are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Defective items can be exchanged or returned only when presented with the original receipt.
・Price, design, and spec are subject to change.

An Overview of the Exhibition

The exhibition consists of eight sections. In 1959, Hockney enrolled at the Royal College of Art in London. In an era when abstract expressionism and pop art were taking the Western art scene by storm, the young art student, who despite learning from various styles and artists had strived to develop his own means of expression without subscribing to a particular trend, soon came to attract attention as a visionary of the times.

In 1964, Hockney moved to Los Angeles, where he painted pool surfaces reflecting sunlight and sprays of water from lawn sprinklers inspired by the relaxed and casual atmosphere of Southern Californian life. Hockney's artistic attempts to capture the ever-changing reflections of light and movement of water have roused his interest for many years, leading to the exploration of new painting materials and forms of depiction.

  • Tea Painting in an Illusionistic Style, 1961, Oil on canvas, 232.5 x 83.0 cm, Tate: Purchased with assistance from the Art Fund 1996 © David Hockney Photo: Richard Schmidt

  • A Lawn Sprinkler, 1967, Acrylic on canvas, 125.8 x 123.8 cm, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo © David Hockney

  • Afternoon Swimming, 1979, Lithograph on paper, 80.7 x 100.3 cm, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo © David Hockney / Tyler Graphics Ltd. Photo: Richard Schmidt

Hockney has also produced an extensive number of portraits. His "double portraits" featuring two figures as in his representative work Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy (1970-71) has become a signature part of the artist’s oeuvre. Hockney focuses on people with whom he has close relationships, such as family, lovers, and friends. These portraits reflect the artist’s calm and composed gaze, as he carefully observes those in front of him so as to even capture their very personality.

25th June 2022, Looking at the Flowers (Framed), 2022, Photographic drawing printed on 5 sheets of paper, mounted on 5 sheets of Dibond, 299.7 x 518.2 cm, Collection of the artist © David Hockney assisted by Jonathan Wilkinson

Hockney states, "I do not want to repeat myself too much, I would rather find something fresh, something new." As exemplified by these words, Hockney had expressed a great admiration for Pablo Picasso, a master of 20th century art who constantly changed and developed his artistic style throughout his career. The "photographic collage" and Moving Focus series, which were produced in the 1980s while drawing reference from Picasso’s cubist works and Chinese picture scrolls, are groundbreaking works that recreate the actual experience of "seeing" within a two-dimensional surface. This approach of integrating multiple perspectives has also been carried over to his recent "photographic drawings" and multi-channel video works.

Walking in the Zen Garden at the Ryoanji Temple, Kyoto, Feb. 1983, 1983, Photographic collage, 101.6 x 160.7 cm, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo © David Hockney Photo: Richard Schmidt

In the Studio, December 2017, 2017, Photographic drawing printed on 7 sheets of paper, mounted on 7 sheets of Dibond, 278.1 x 760.1 cm, Tate: Presented by the artist 2018 © David Hockney assisted by Jonathan Wilkinson

All the works featured in the second half of this exhibition will be shown in Japan for the first time. Over the course of 15 or so years since 1997, Hockney has continued to depict the nature and sights of Eastern Yorkshire where he had spent his childhood. As the title suggests, Bigger Trees Near Warter Or/Ou Peinture Sur Le Motif Pour Le Nouvel Age Post-Photographique (2007) is a landscape painting of a massive scale produced through the method of painting en plein air (‘in the open air’) in oils on multiple canvases in front of the trees that serve as its motif.

Bigger Trees Near Warter Or/Ou Peinture Sur Le Motif Pour Le Nouvel Age Post-Photographique, 2007, Oil on 50 canvases (91.4 x 121.9 cm each), 459.0 x 1225.0 cm, Tate: Presented by the artist 2008 © David Hockney Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates

Furthermore, the iPad, which Hockney acquired as soon as it was first released in April 2010, opened up new frontiers for his artistic practice. Composed of large scale oil paintings and iPad drawings, the series The Arrival of Spring, Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 conveys Hockney’s outstanding ability to engage with a world that dramatically changes day by day and depict its transitions and transformations to utmost detail.

  • The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) - 31 May, No.1, 2011, iPad drawing printed on 4 sheets of paper (118.1 x 88.9 cm each), mounted on 4 sheets of Dibond, 236.2 x 177.8 cm, The David Hockney Foundation © David Hockney

Since 2019, Hockney has been working in Normandy in Northwestern France. As the world came to a standstill due to the unexpected outbreak of an unknown infection, Hockney, who was living in a remote region and found himself little affected by such circumstances, continued to turn his gaze to the nature that surrounded him and the changing seasons. This ultimately led to the production of the ambitious 90-meter long masterpiece, A Year in Normandie. This exhibition serves to trace Hockney’s practice as an artist who attempts to earnestly capture the familiar everyday life that unfolds before his eyes and openly share those observations with others.

A Year in Normandie (detail), 2020-21, Composite iPad painting, 100 x 9000 cm, Collection of the artist © David Hockney

A Year in Normandie(detail), 2020-21, Composite iPad painting, 100 x 9000 cm, Collection of the artist © David Hockney

a message from David Hockney

EXHIBITION FLYER (PDF)

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EXHIBITION GUIDE(PDF)

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Concurrent Exhibition

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