Henry Geldzahler, 1 May 1994 (detail)
Contents
1994

Opera

At the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Hockney’s production of A Rake’s Progress is revived under his supervision. He agrees to Placido Domingo’s request that he design sets for twelve arias to be performed for the televised broadcast of [NESTED]Operalia 94 in Mexico City, a competition seen throughout the world. 

I thought nobody is using color well on TV, and I think I’ve found a way of making it look wonderful, even though it’s live. I’ve done so much videoing of paintings recently. I think it’s worth going a stage further.

I thought nobody is using color well on TV, and I think I’ve found a way of making it look wonderful, even though it’s live. I’ve done so much videoing of paintings recently. I think it’s worth going a stage further.

Drawing portraits

Hockney is holding intimate portrait sessions, using a video camera to record in close-up, and afterwards processing and producing laser-printer images of the resulting drawings. For the solo exhibition New Drawings: Some Drawings of Family, Friends and Best Friends, at 1853 Gallery in Saltaire in Yorkshire, he shows his recent large-scale portrait drawings; the catalogue reproduces his video camera stills of them. 

Mum Sleeping I, 9 March 94
Mum, Dec 29th 1993
Mum, Dec 20th 1993
Ken Wathey, 28 Dec 93
Mum, Dec 21st 93
Mum, Dec 13
Mum, Dec 28th 93
Margaret Hockney, Dec 29th 1993

Visits Henry Geldzahler

The esteemed curator Henry Geldzahler, an early supporter of many of the most renowned American artists to emerge in the mid-twentieth century, is dying. Hockney goes to Long Island to draw his longtime friend. Hockney’s drawings of Geldzahler will [NESTED]feature in a major drawing retrospective traveling internationally in the coming year.

Henry Geldzahler asked me to draw him when he was dying. I went to visit him a lot and I wouldn’t have drawn him, because I would have felt it was a bit of an intrusion. He asked me to read to him. Then he did say, "Draw me," and he wasn’t looking terrific, but I drew him.

Henry Geldzahler asked me to draw him when he was dying. I went to visit him a lot and I wouldn’t have drawn him, because I would have felt it was a bit of an intrusion. He asked me to read to him. Then he did say, "Draw me," and he wasn’t looking terrific, but I drew him.

Hockney with Stanley and Boodgie

Exhibitions

Solo

  • New Prints, Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA (Jan 22–Feb 26).
  • Some New Paintings, Drawings, Prints and Gouaches, 1989-1994, L.A. Louver, Venice, CA, USA (Mar 19–Apr 23).
  • David Hockney’s Pools, André Emmerich Gallery, New York, NY, USA (Apr 21–May 27).
  • New Drawings: Some Drawings of Family, Friends and Best Friends, 1853 Gallery, Saltaire, UK (Jun 28–Aug 19); catalogue.
  • Some Even Newer Paintings (Being Gouache on Paper), André Emmerich Gallery, New York, NY, USA (Sep 9–Oct 5).
  • Some More New Prints, Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles, CA, USA (opens Oct 24, 1994); catalogue.
  • New Works, Nishimura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (Nov 8–Dec 10); catalogue.

Group

  • Paintings and Sculpture: Recent Acquisitions, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA (Jun 16–Sep 11).
  • Hogarth and Hockney: The Rake’s Progress, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA (Sep 10, 1994–Feb 5, 1995).

Publications

Publications

  • Hockney in California, Takashimaya Art Gallery, Tokyo: Art Life Ltd..
  • Out of Print: British Printmaking 1946–1976, The British Council, London: The British Council.
  • David Hockney: Poster Art, by Brian Baggot, San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
  • Off The Wall: Hockney Posters, by Brian Baggott, London: Pavilion Books.
  • New Drawings, by David Hockney, Saltaire, Yorkshire: 1853 Gallery, Salts Mill.
  • New Works, by David Hockney, Tokyo: Nishimura Gallery.
  • David Hockney, by Paul Melia and Ulrich Luckhardt, Munich and New York: Prestel Verlag.