HOWARD HODGKIN C.H., C.B.E. (BRITISH 1932-2017) §
FOR ANTONY, 2015
£2,400
Modern British and Contemporary Art
Auction: 18 April 2018 at 12:00 BST
Description
Signed with initials and dated in pencil, numbered 38/100, sugar lift etching from three copper plates
Dimensions
26.5cm x 42.5cm (10.5in x 16.75in)
Footnote
Note: Considered to be one the most important British artists of the twentieth century, Sir Howard Hodgkin was a central figure in the country's modern art movement. Born in 1932 in Hammersmith London, Hodgkin was determined to become a painter from the young age of five. During the Second World War Hodgkin, along with his sister and mother, were evacuated to Long Island, USA. There his ambitions to paint were reinforced after seeing pictures by Matisse, and Picasso at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. After returning to England he attended Eton College where he first began to collect Indian miniatures. After running away from school twice, Hodgkin was transferred to Bryanston School in Dorset however he soon ran away again to pursue his ambition of becoming a painter. Hodgkin first trained at Camberwell School of Art followed by four years studying at Bath Academy of Art. In the mid-1950s a wave of Abstract Expressionism exhibitions in London had an important impact on the development of his style, and to extent liberated him as an artist. Hodgkin has exhibited at numerous notable institutions including the Hayward Gallery and Gagosian. He was also granted numerous major shows including exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, Tate Britain as well as representing Britain at the 1984 Venice Biennale. In 1976 Hodgkin's first retrospective was curated by Nicolas Serota at the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford and in 1992 he was knighted for his services to the arts.
This work features Hodgkin's characteristic broad gestural brushstrokes. These, however, convey a deceiving sense of spontaneity, as it could take up to a year for Hodgkin to prepare to execute a single brushstroke. The title references his partner Antony Peattie whom he lived with until his death in 2017. After coming out as homosexual in the late 1970's, his work became characterised by a heightened sense of eroticism. Painted during a mature point in their relationship the print simultaneously exudes a sense of tranquillity and distress.