This David Hockney painting is expected to fetch $20 million at auction
"This is a really exciting moment for us at Christie's, because this marks the first time that the work has been shown in public in nearly 45 years. It was last seen in 1979, and it's remained in the same private collection since the present owners bought it in 1968."
Hockney painted 'California' in 1965 after his first trip to Los Angeles
[Tessa Lord, Senior Specialist, Christie's London]
"His (Hockney's) experience in Los Angeles is eye opening for him. He sees for the first time the effect of sunlight on water. He's feeling the warmth. He's seeing this sort of mosaic-like landscape with all homes peppered with these swimming pools. And that swimming pool becomes a sort of emblematic motif for him, of everything he felt while on that trip. And he, he returns to the UK and he, he captures that, and trying to capture that with what then becomes known as his series of pool paintings. This is one of the earliest examples."
Date: January 25, 2024
'California' is a highlight of Christie's auction of 20th and 21st century art on March 7
