Books by David Hockney

David Hockney's Dog Days

by David Hockney

An engaging collection of paintings and drawings by David Hockney of his canine companions, dachshunds Stanley and Boodgie, celebrates the age-old bonds between humans and their dogs. 40,000 first printing.

Secret Knowledge (New and Expanded Edition): Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters

by David Hockney

Join one of the most influential artists of our time as he investigates the painting techniques of the Old Masters. Hockney’s extensive research led him to conclude that artists such as Caravaggio, Velázquez, da Vinci, and other hyperrealists actually used optics and lenses to create their masterpieces.
In this passionate yet pithy book, Hockney takes readers on a journey of discovery as he builds a case that mirrors and lenses were used by the great masters to create their highly detailed and realistic paintings and drawings. Hundreds of the best-known and best-loved paintings are reproduced alongside his straightforward analysis. Hockney also includes his own photographs and drawings to illustrate techniques used to capture such accurate likenesses. Extracts from historical and modern documents and correspondence with experts from around the world further illuminate this thought-provoking book that will forever change how the world looks at art.
Secret Knowledge will open your eyes to how we perceive the world and how we choose to represent it.

David Hockney Dog Days: Notecards

by David Hockney

Sixteen individual notecards and envelopes, each featuring one of David Hockney's playful paintings of his two dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie
These sharply observed, affectionate studies of David Hockney's dogs, Stanley and Boodgie, are executed swiftly in oils, epitomizing the artists familiar style. Includes four unique images. Illustrated in color throughout

Hockney's Pictures

by David Hockney

The definitive retrospective of one of the world's most popular and acclaimed artists.
The story of David Hockney is one of passion: passion for seeing, passion for telling, passion for images. But to these should be added passion for life. Hockney's art is a celebration of what it is to be alive. All his pictures―sometimes tender, as when he draws close friends and family; sometimes playful, as in his paintings of lazy, carefree days at the pool; sometimes awe-inspiring, as with his monumental images of the Grand Canyon―convey what it means to be in the world, to see it, to move in it, to love it.
This constant exploration of how to communicate such feelings through art emerges with particular clarity in this stunning, lively volume, now updated to include recent works which have been selected and organized by Hockney personally, and track his lifelong experiments in ways of looking and depicting. 325 color illustrations

Hockney's Pictures

by David Hockney

A classic, charting fifty years of the creative evolution of one of the most popular andbinfluential artists of modern times
A stunning, lively volume charting almost fifty years of an extraordinary artist’s creativity across a range of media, Hockney’s Pictures is the definitive retrospective of one of the most popular artists of the twentieth century.
The pieces are selected and organized thematically by David Hockney himself, tracking his lifelong experiments in ways of looking and depicting. Including more than 300 illustrations, accompanied by quotes from the artist that illuminate the passionate thinking behind the work, Hockney’s Pictures shows the evolution and diversity of Hockney’s paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints, and photography, confirming and reinforcing his position as one of the world’s most popular living artists. 325 illustrations, 277 in color

The World According to David Hockney (The World According To... Series, 6)

by David Hockney

A collection of insights into art, life, nature, creativity, and more from legendary British artist David Hockney.
"I’ve always been a looker . . . that’s what artists do."
This anthology of quotations by the artist David Hockney follows in the successful format of The World According to series. Ranging across topics including drawing, photography, nature, creativity, the Internet, and much more, The World According to David Hockney offers a delightful and engaging overview of the artist’s inimitable spirit, personality, and opinions.
From everyday observations―"The eye is always moving; if it isn’t moving you are dead"―to artistic insights such as "painted color always will be better than printed color, because it is the pigment itself," as well as musings on other image makers, including Caravaggio, Paul Cézanne, and Walt Disney, David Hockney has a knack for capturing profound truths in pithy statements.
Born in Bradford, England, in 1937, Hockney attended art school in London before moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s. There, he painted his famous swimming pool paintings, and since then has embraced a range of media, including photocollage, video, and digital technologies. In a 2011 poll of more than one thousand British artists, Hockney was voted the most influential British artist of all time.
Presented as a beautifully designed and attractive package, illustrated with works of art from throughout Hockney’s career, this is the perfect gift for art lovers everywhere. 39 color illustrations

That's the Way I See It

by David Hockney

A republication of a classic work by the popular modern artist follows his exploration of numerous artistic mediums, from painting and computer art to photography and printmaking, explaining his experimentation with ways of seeing as well as his philosophies about how art can alter one's perception of the world. Reprint.

David Hockney Dog Days

by David Hockney

"A charming collection an essential book for the dachshund or Hockney lover." ― The Mail on Sunday
"From September 1993, I painted and drew my dogs. This took a certain amount of planning, since dogs are generally not interested in Art (I say generally only because I have now come across a singing dog). Food and love dominate their lives. I make no apologies for the apparent subject matter. These two dear little creatures are my friends. They are intelligent, loving, comical, and often bored. They watch me work; I notice the warm shapes they make together, their sadness and their delights. And, being Hollywood dogs, they somehow seem to know that a picture is being made." ― David Hockney

David Hockney introduces his two dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie, in this delightful collection. The result of both sharp observation and affection, these paintings and drawings are lyrical studies in form and design. A text by the artist gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how to work with models that don't necessarily want to sit still. 84 color illustrations

A History of Pictures: From the Cave to the Computer Screen

by David Hockney, Martin Gayford

A picture, says David Hockney, is the only way that we can communicate what we see. Here, in a collaboration with art critic Martin Gayford, he explores the many ways that artists have pictured the world, sharing sparkling insights and ideas that will delight every art lover and art maker. Readers who thrilled to Hockney’s Secret Knowledge know that he has an uncanny ability to get into the minds of artists. In A History of Pictures he covers far more ground, getting at the roots of visual expression and technique through hundreds of images—from cave paintings to frames from movies—that are reproduced. It’s a joyful celebration of one of humanity’s oldest impulses.

David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring in Normandy, 2020

by David Hockney, Edith Devaney

An uplifting celebration of spring and the power of art against lockdown: Hockney’s new iPad drawings, in an intimate sketchbook format
A New York Magazine 2021 holiday gift guide pick

At the beginning of 2020, just as global COVID-19 restrictions were coming into force, David Hockney was at his new house, studio and garden in Normandy. From there, he witnessed the arrival of spring, and recorded the blossoming of the surrounding landscape on his iPad, a method of drawing he has been using for over a decade.

Drawing outdoors was an antidote to the anxiety of the moment for Hockney; “we need art, and I do think it can relieve stress,” he says. This uplifting publication―produced to accompany a major exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts―includes 116 of these new iPad drawings and shows to full effect Hockney's singular skill in capturing the exuberance of nature. The book begins with an interview with the show's curator, Edith Devaney, in which Hockney discusses his heralding of the spring. It also features augmented reality, an exciting technology that enables smartphones and tablets to recognize printed images and play a related film or animation.

David Hockney (born 1937) is one of the most significant British artists of the 20th century. He attended the Royal College of Art in London and exhibited in one of the first British Pop art shows. In 1964 he moved to Los Angeles, where he lived for many years before returning to his native Yorkshire for a time. In addition to painting, Hockney has pursued photography, collage and printmaking as well as digital illustration. He lives and works in Normandy, France.

David Hockney. My Window

by David Hockney

'For me, it's really the joy of looking out into the world and getting this positive energy... It's opening up our vision, and how we look.-David HockneyWhen David Hockney discovered the iPhone as an artistic medium, it opened up entirely new possibilities for his art. He made his first digital paintings in spring 2009, describing the morning landscape in broad lines and dazzling colors directly on a display that offered subtle hues as unmixed expressions of pure light. Then in 2010, Hockney started working with an iPad, and the larger screen expanded his artistic repertoire and enabled an even more complex interplay of color, light, and line. Each image in this book captures a fleeting moment seen through a window in Hockney's Yorkshire home: from vibrant sunrise and lilac morning sky to peaceful night-time impressions or the sudden arrival of spring. Fascinating details reveal drops on window panes, distant lights in the night, reflections on vases or an abundance of varied window-sill vegetation. In 120 paintings made between 2009 and 2012, selected and arranged by the artist himself, we experience the passage of time through the eyes of David Hockney.

This artist's book, which first appeared in an exclusive signed edition in 2020, now returns in a wallet-friendly pocket edition. So now is the perfect occasion to heed the advice of the Times critic regarding this book: "If you would like to be given a bouquet by David Hockney, here is your chance."

David Hockney. 220 For 2020

by David Hockney

From a small, picturesque farmhouse in the rich fields and meadows of Normandy, David Hockney followed the changing seasons across 2020 and into the new year. He used his iPad to spontaneously depict impressions of the landscape surrounding him, catching the first spring blossoms, the smell of summer, the saturated colors of autumn, and the stark shapes of dark branches in winter time. The 220 (plus four bonus) iPad paintings in this book are printed with six colors to match the richness of the artist's vision. A short introduction by Hockney reveals how this planned project became a lifeline during the COVID lockdown, from which he spread his message of hope: "Remember they can't cancel the spring."

Spring Cannot Be Cancelled David Hockney in Normandy

by David Hockney, Martin Gayford

David Hockney reflects upon life and art as he experiences lockdown in rural Normandy in this inspiring book which includes conversations with the artist and his latest artworks.

On turning eighty, David Hockney sought out rustic tranquility for the first time: a place to watch the sunset and the change of the seasons; a place to keep the madness of the world at bay. So when Covid-19 and lockdown struck, it made little difference to life at La Grande Cour, the centuries-old Normandy farmhouse where Hockney set up a studio a year earlier, in time to paint the arrival of spring. In fact, he relished the enforced isolation as an opportunity for even greater devotion to his art.

Spring Cannot Be Cancelled is an uplifting manifesto that affirms art’s capacity to divert and inspire. It is based on a wealth of new conversations and correspondence between Hockney and art critic Martin Gayford, his long-time friend and collaborator. Their exchanges are illustrated by a selection of Hockney’s new Normandy drawings and paintings alongside works by Van Gogh, Monet, Bruegel, and others. We see how Hockney is propelled ever forward by his infectious enthusiasms and sense of wonder. A lifelong contrarian, he has been in the public eye for sixty years, yet remains entirely unconcerned by the view of critics or even history. He is utterly absorbed by his four acres of northern France and by the themes that have fascinated him for decades: light, color, space, perception, water, trees. He has much to teach us, not only about how to see . . . but about how to live.