A gallery dedicated to the late David Hockney, which was one of the final projects the artist was involved in, has re-opened in Bradford this week.
The Hockney Gallery at Cartwright Hall features work from across the Bradford born artist’s lengthy career, from the sketches he drew as a student in Bradford to iPad artwork he created in his final decade.
The gallery first opened in 2017 as part of Hockney’s 80th birthday celebrations, and featured photographs, paintings and early sketches by the beloved artist.
It also included the huge Le Plongeur – one of Hockney’s famous swimming pool paintings.
The gallery underwent a temporary closure last year when Cartwright Hall, a Bradford Council-owned gallery in the heart of Lister Park, hosted the Turner Prize exhibition.
The plan was always to refresh the gallery when it re-opened, but these plans took on an added significance when Hockney died this June, aged 88.
Today (Oct 21) the gallery opened its doors with a completely new look, including numerous pieces of art created by the notoriously prolific artist since 2017.
The pieces on display include art from Bradford Council’s collection as well as pieces from private collections.
Jill Iredale, curator, said the works on display show the huge range of Hockney’s works, from sketches of a post war Bradford to some of the most groundbreaking art in recent decades.
She said: “This is a complete refresh. We wanted to do something a bit different. There are new works in this. We didn’t want it to be exactly the same as the last gallery – it will change again in another few years to keep it fresh.
“Some of the artwork here is early sketches from when he was first learning to draw. There is work from when we went to London, and you can really see the change.
“Hockney was very involved in all aspects of his exhibitions up until his passing, and this exhibition was already approved and agreed on beforehand.
“He was approving which pictures would be in this exhibition, and it was one of the last projects he was working on. His team have been great, they were very committed to making his wishes happen in really difficult circumstances.”
Asked whether she thinks Hockney’s death will lead to more visitors to the gallery, she said: “We’ve had a lot of people coming into the gallery wanting to see his work. People are really keen to view his works.”
She said Bradford’s year as City of Culture had helped raise the profile of the city, and of Cartwright Hall as the district’s civic art gallery in particular.
Mrs Iredale said: “He was a pioneer in the art world, I think that’s the most appropriate way to describe him. He was one of the all-time greatest artists, and he is from Bradford. That is amazing.”