Hockney’s works are being displayed for the first time in the Netherlands at the Van Gogh Museum until the May 26. The exhibition ‘Hockney – Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature’ displays the unquestionable influence that Vincent van Gogh’s work had on Hockney’s aesthetic.
David Hockney is one of the best-known representatives of pop art today and is considered to be one of the most prominent artists of the past century; his world-famous landscapes of the English county of Yorkshire are a vivid spectacle for the senses. Hockney’s works are being displayed for the first time in the Netherlands at the Van Gogh Museum until the May 26. The exhibition ‘Hockney – Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature’ displays the unquestionable influence that Vincent van Gogh’s work had on Hockney’s aesthetic.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the immense The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011, consisting of 32 parts and measuring 9.75 metres wide by 3.66 metres high. Works included feature sketchbooks, videos photographic drawings and and 20 large iPad drawings
Axel Rüger, director of the Van Gogh Museum, explains that “Hockney is one of the most influential artists of our time. This is our first ever exhibition to explore how Van Gogh influenced his work. It is an absolute honor to organize an exhibition such as this.”
The exhibition demonstrates the clear influence of Van Gogh on Hockney’s work, and explores both artists’ fascination with nature and their use of bright, contrasting colors. The colorful landscapes reveal Hockney’s love of the natural world, reflecting elements of Van Gogh’s renowned landscape paintings.
It was in Yorkshire that Hockney first began experimenting with his iPad, using the technology to play with a number of vivid colors and contrasting textures. Twenty of these drawings will be displayed in large format at the exhibition, as well as two series of watercolors and charcoal drawings. Hockney’s sketchbooks are also on display. The exhibition also features video footage of one of Hockney’s recent photographic drawings.
The Hockney – Van Gogh exhibition is the latest in a series of exhibitions displayed at the Van Gogh Museum which show how generations of artists have been inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s work. Since 2014, exhibitions in this series feature paintings by Francis Bacon, Edvard Munch, Frank Auerbach, Willem de Kooning and Peter Doig, as well as expressionist works from the Merzbacher Collection. These modern and contemporary artists show how Van Gogh inspires current and even future artworks.
A multimedia guide, created especially for the exhibition and featuring the voice of David Hockney, is available to lead visitors through the exhibition. The Van Gogh museum stays open until 10pm every last Friday of the month for a special event called Vincent on Friday. The ‘Hockney – Van Gogh’ exhibition will take centre stage on Friday, March 29.
