David Hockney's 82 Portraits and 1 Still-life (2013-2016) series represents a significant phase in the artist's long and varied career, offering a vivid and intimate view of the people within his life. After a major landscape exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2012, Hockney shifted focus from the expansive vistas of his Yorkshire home back to the human figure, returning to Los Angeles where he rekindled his interest in portraiture. This return was marked by a personal tragedy: the accidental death of his young assistant and close friend, Dominic Elliot, in 2013, which deeply affected Hockney and initially led to a period of mourning and creative difficulty (Artnet News).
The series includes portraits of a diverse group of individuals from Hockney's life, including family members, friends, fellow artists, curators, and gallerists such as John Baldessari and Larry Gagosian. These subjects were not commissioned; they are people who Hockney personally invited to sit for him, many of whom are prominent figures within the LA art world and beyond. This collection of portraits provides a snapshot of the artist's social circle over the years, encompassing people from different aspects of his life and career (LACMA).
Each portrait within the series was created under the same conditions—painted in Hockney's Los Angeles studio against a vivid blue background, with each sitter in the same chair, and each work completed within a timeframe of three days. Despite the uniformity in size and setting, Hockney's adept use of acrylics brings out the distinct personalities and inner lives of his subjects, showcasing his ability to capture the essence of each individual with warmth and immediacy (Guggenheim Bilbao) (Royal Academy of Arts).
The exhibition of these portraits, originally organized by the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and later traveling to other venues including LACMA, marks a vibrant return to form for Hockney. It's a testament to his enduring fascination with the human figure and his skill in capturing the individuality of his subjects. The consistency in the presentation of each portrait, coupled with the emotional depth and personal connections they reveal, offers a unique insight into Hockney's world, his artistic process, and the personal relationships that have shaped his life and work over the past 50 years (Artbook).
This series is not just a collection of individual portraits but a cohesive body of work that reflects on the nature of individuality itself, as well as the deep connections and shared humanity among the artist's acquaintances. Through this series, Hockney reaffirms the significance of portraiture in his oeuvre and the art world at large, continuing to explore and push the boundaries of this traditional genre with his innovative approach and vibrant use of color (Artnet News).