Hockney’s Double Portraits

Small exhibition at Tate Britain of three of David Hockney’s double portraits to mark the donation of one of them to the gallery in 2014.

The donated one was of Wayne Sleep and George Lawson and it was shown with “Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy” and “My Parents”. I’d not realised before that Hockney was best man to Ozzie Clark and Celia Birtwhistle which explains why it is such a sympathetic picture of them.

I couldn’t help but notice that in the picture of his parents they are sitting on the chairs we had in our kitchen at home! I love the touches of the Chardin book and the Della Francesca Baptism of Christ to include himself, an artist, in the picture by showing his influences.

The Wayne Sleep and George Lawson picture was unfinished and has a more blocky composition but I love the stance of the dancer leaning against the door in contrast to the more sombre seated figure.

Closes autumn 2016

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