Particle.news

Download on the App Store

David Hockney Opens Career-Defining Retrospective in Paris

The 87-year-old artist unveils his largest-ever exhibition, featuring 400 works spanning seven decades, as he reflects on legacy and mortality.

Visitors look at the painting "Bigger Trees Near Warter Or/Ou Peinture Sur Le Motif Pour Le Nouvel Age Post-Photographique, 2007" by British painter David Hockney during a press visit ahead of the opening of the exhibition "David Hockney 25" at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France, April 8, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
A visitor looks at the painting "25th June 2022, Looking at the Flowers (Framed)" by British painter David Hockney during a press visit ahead of the opening of the exhibition "David Hockney 25" at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France, April 8, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
A visitor looks at the painting "Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica, 1960" by British painter David Hockney during a press visit ahead of the opening of the exhibition "David Hockney 25" at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France, April 8, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Visitors look at the paintings "Going to be a Queen for Tonight, 1960" and "Play Within a Play, 1963" by British painter David Hockney during a press visit ahead of the opening of the exhibition "David Hockney 25" at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France, April 8, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Overview

  • The exhibition, titled 'David Hockney, 25,' is being held at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris and runs until September 1, 2025.
  • With over 400 works on display, the retrospective includes iconic pieces from Hockney's California period, Yorkshire landscapes, and never-before-seen recent creations.
  • Highlights include a self-portrait in acrylic and a work inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, both created in the last two years.
  • Despite frail health, Hockney remains deeply involved in the exhibition’s presentation, overseeing details like wall colors and exhibit text corrections.
  • The show explores themes of aging, mortality, and artistic evolution, with many seeing it as a potential swan song for the celebrated artist.