Image of Gregory
from Moving Focus

Medium: Lithograph printed in colors in two parts, each with an artist’s frame finished in white and gray
First Part: Lithograph printed in colors with collage on five sheets of TGL handmade paper mounted on HMP handmade paper
Second Part: Lithograph printed in colors on TGL handmade paper
Year: 1984-1985
Overall: 87 1/2 x 41 inches (222.2 x 104.2 cm)
Edition: 75
Artist’s Proofs: 18 AP
Publisher: Tyler Graphics Ltd., Mount Kisco, New York
Literature: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (276)

Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on the top sheet with the blindstamp and the printer and publisher

 

An Image of Gregory (1984-5) is a striking example of David Hockney’s enduring fascination with Picasso and the Cubist aversion to single-point perspective. Comprised of two separate sheets within individual frames of varying sizes, the lithograph depicts the artist’s close friend and business partner, Gregory Evans. Sat cross-legged wearing a pin-stripe suit, Evans’ face simultaneously looks straight out at the viewer whilst also being in profile. He has two hands down by his side, yet he also raises a hand to his face, precariously holding a cigarette. The interior setting in which Evans is sat is comprised of askew lines of perspective and bold segments of flat shape that deconstruct the space. Echoing Picasso’s Cubist portraits, Hockney distorts, exaggerates, and reorganizes the sitter’s features and surroundings. In this sense, he defies Renaissance-era ideas about single-point perspective and instead evokes a manner of seeing much more reminiscent of how one experiences life.

Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Marie-Therese, 6th January, 1937, Musée Picasso, Paris. Image: Bridgeman Images, Artwork: © Succession Picasso / DACS, London 2023

An Image of Gregory is from the Moving Focus series, which is Hockney’s largest and most ambitious series of prints. Completed between 1984 and 1987, Moving Focus is a printmaking tour de force consisting of twenty-nine lithographs showcasing Hockney’s fascination with perspective, color, and the depiction of space. Considered to be “Hockney’s dialogue with Picasso,” the Moving Focus series recalls Picasso’s Cubist style and use of multiple viewpoints to create highly dynamic compositions. Hockney’s interest in the work of Picasso began in 1960 as a student at the Royal College of Art in London. That same year, the Tate held a seminal exhibition of Picasso; Hockney was captivated by Picasso’s use of various perspectives and he therefore returned to the show eight times. As we gaze upon An Image of Gregory, absorbing the manner by which his face and body are constructed from different points of view, we see how powerfully Picasso’s study of perspective influenced the British artist.

“Cubism itself inferred that memory is a part of vision, it must be a part of vision, which I think discounts the idea that there is a kind of objective vision, because each person has a different memory of something.”

Hockney first met Gregory Evans in London, through the Los Angeles-based art dealer Nicholas Wilder. In 1974, the two began an intimate relationship in Paris, where they both resided at the time. Though their romantic relationship ended in the late 1970s, Hockney and Evans remained close friends. Over the past five decades, Evans has been a key figure in Hockney’s personal and artistic career, transitioning from model and personal assistant to curator and trusted advisor. Appearing in over forty portraits, including lithographs, paintings and photo collages, Evan’s likenesses showcase the trajectory of Hockney’s ever-evolving practice and constant artistic experimentation.

 

Source: Phillips

 

---

 Auction Results

---

Phillips New-York: 16 April 2025
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 139,700

DAVID HOCKNEY
An Image of Gregory, from Moving Focus (T. 285, M.C.A.T. 276), 1984-85
Lithograph in colors with collage, on two sheets of TGL handmade paper
Contained in the artist’s original two part sculptural wood frame finished in white and gray lacquers
Signed, dated and numbered ‘P.P II’ in pencil on the upper print
A printer’s proof, the edition was 75 and 18 artist’s proofs in Roman numerals

XXXXXXXXXX

Phillips New-York: 16 April 2024
Estimated: USD 50,000 – 70,000
USD 139,700

Phillips London: 21 September 2023
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000
GBP 82,550 / USD 101,760

Sotheby’s New-York: 19 April 2023
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 63,500

DAVID HOCKNEY (b. 1937)
Image of Gregory, from the Moving Focus Series, 1984-1985
Lithograph printed in colors in two parts contained in the artist’s two part frame
Signed in pencil on the top sheet, dated and numbered 2/75

SBI Art Auction: 11 March 2023
Estimated: JPY 5,000,000 – 8,000,000
JPY 12,075,000 / USD 89,452

DAVID HOCKNEY
An Image of Gregory, from the “Moving Focus” Series (M.C.A.T. 276), 1984 – 1985
Lithograph, collage with original frame in 2 parts
Signed, dated and numbered on the lower part
From the edition of 75

XXXXXXXXXX

SBI Art Auction: 27 May 2022
Estimated: JPY 5,000,000 – 8,000,000
JPY 6,900,000 / USD 54,314

DAVID HOCKNEY
An Image of Gregory, from the “Moving Focus” Series (M.C.A.T. 276), 1984 – 1985
Lithograph, collage with original frame in 2 parts
Signed, dated and numbered on the lower part
From the edition of 75

XXXXXXXXXX

Sotheby’s New-York: 28 July 2020
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 25,000
USD 118,750

DAVID HOCKNEY (B.1937)
IMAGE OF GREGORY (MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, TOKYO 276) from the Moving Focusseries, 1984-85
Lithograph printed in colors in two parts, the first with collage, the first on five sheets of TGL handmade paper mounted on HMP handmade paper, the second on TGL handmade paper
Signed in pencil on the top sheet, dated and numbered 57/75
Each contained in the artist’s two part frame finished in white and gray

XXXXXXXXXX

Christie’s New-York: 27 February 2019
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 17,500

DAVID HOCKNEY (B. 1937)
An Image of Gregory, from Moving Focus, 1985
Lithograph in colors with collage on two sheets of TGL handmade paper
Signed and dated ‘1984-5’ in pencil, numbered 15/75