Two Vases In the Louvre
Medium: Etching and aquatint in colors on Inveresk mould-made paper
Year: 1974
Image: 29 1/4 x 29 1/4 inches (74.2 x 74.2 cm)
Sheet: 39×36 inches (99 x 91.4 cm)
Edition: 75
Artist’s Proofs: 18 AP
Publisher: Petersburg Press, New-York and London
Printer: Maurice Payne, Kent Jones and Dany Levy
Literature: Scottish Arts Council (168); Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (154)
Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil
With the blindstamp of the publisher
With the artist’s copyright blindstamp
In Two Vases in the Louvre (1974), David Hockney depicts a quiet interior scene within the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The composition is structured around a large window overlooking the classical architecture of the Louvre courtyard. Positioned symmetrically in the foreground are two monumental decorative vases, standing like sculptural sentinels on either side of the room. The vases anchor the composition and create a strong sense of balance. Beyond them, the viewer’s gaze travels toward the large window that frames the pale façade of the museum buildings outside. Hockney constructs the space through a network of delicate lines and subtle color overlays, producing a luminous and almost atmospheric rendering of the architecture. The image captures a moment of stillness typical of museum interiors. The quiet dialogue between the decorative vases and the monumental architecture outside reflects Hockney’s fascination with the relationship between objects, space, and observation.
Rather than filling areas with solid color, Hockney constructs the composition using dense cross-hatched lines in red, blue, and green. These overlapping lines generate depth and vibration within the image, giving the surfaces of the room and the exterior architecture a soft, shimmering quality. The technique reflects Hockney’s deep interest in the act of drawing itself. Every part of the composition, from the floor’s perspective grid to the window frame and distant façades, is built through carefully layered lines, emphasizing structure while retaining a sense of spontaneity.
The print is executed as an etching and aquatint in colors, a technique that allowed Hockney to combine precise line work with soft tonal effects. Etching is used to produce the delicate linear framework of the composition—visible in the architectural outlines, cross-hatched walls, and perspective grid of the floor. Aquatint, on the other hand, provides areas of subtle tonal color, creating atmospheric depth in the background architecture and gentle fields of color throughout the interior. The layering of different colored plates—particularly blues, greens, and reds—generates the vibrating chromatic effect that characterizes many of Hockney’s prints of the 1970s. This combination of etching and aquatint allowed Hockney to maintain the immediacy of drawing while also achieving the rich tonal atmosphere associated with painterly surfaces.
Two Vases in the Louvre was created in 1974, during a period when Hockney was increasingly exploring themes of architecture, perspective, and interior space. Although widely known for his Californian swimming pool paintings, the artist spent significant time in Europe during the early 1970s and frequently turned his attention to historical architecture and museum environments. The Louvre, one of the world’s most important cultural institutions, offered Hockney an ideal subject. By focusing not on famous artworks but on architectural elements within the museum itself, the artist transforms the museum space into a contemplative setting where objects and architecture become the primary protagonists.
The composition explores one of Hockney’s recurring themes: the relationship between interior and exterior space. The window functions as both a literal and symbolic frame, separating the quiet museum interior from the monumental urban architecture beyond. The vases themselves serve as visual anchors within the composition. Their symmetry introduces a classical sense of order, echoing the architectural harmony of the Louvre buildings visible outside. At the same time, the delicate cross-hatching and shifting colors destabilize the strict geometry, reminding the viewer that perception is fluid rather than fixed. Through this interplay between structure and perception, Hockney subtly reflects on how we experience spaces such as museums—places where architecture, objects, and the act of looking intersect.
Hockney is widely regarded as one of the most inventive printmakers of the twentieth century, continually experimenting with traditional techniques while pushing their expressive potential. During the 1970s he produced a number of prints exploring interiors, architecture, and carefully structured perspectives. Two Vases in the Louvre exemplifies this phase of his practice. The work combines precise architectural construction with the freedom of drawn line, demonstrating how printmaking could serve as an extension of Hockney’s drawing practice. Within the broader history of Hockney’s prints, the work illustrates the artist’s ability to transform a simple architectural moment into a meditation on observation, space, and visual perception—central themes that run throughout his extraordinary career.
Auction Results
Forum Auctions: 12 March 2024
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 32,000 (Hammer)
GBP 41,840 / USD 53,490
DAVID HOCKNEY (b.1937)
Two Vases in the Louvre (Scottish Arts Council 168; MCA Tokyo 154), 1974
Etching with aquatint printed in colors on wove paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered from the edition of 75
SBI Art Auction: 28 October 2022
Estimated: JPY 2,500,000 – 3,500,000
JPY 7,130,000 / USD 48,740
DAVID HOCKNEY
Two Vases in the Louvre (M.C.A.T. 154), 1974
Etching, softground etching, aquatint
Signed, dated and numbered on the lower part
An artist’s Proof aside from the edition of 75
Christie’s New-York: 27 October 2022
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 47,880
DAVID HOCKNEY (B. 1937)
Two Vases in the Louvre, 1974
Etching and aquatint in colors, on Inveresk mould-made paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 18/75
Christie’s New-York: 20 July 2021
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 75,000
DAVID HOCKNEY (B. 1937)
Two Vases in the Louvre, 1974
Etching and aquatint in colors on Inveresk mould-made paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 47/75
Bonhams Cornette: 18 June 2021
Estimated: EUR 18,000 – 22,000
EUR 84,500 / USD 100,315
AUCTION RECORD FOR TWO VASES IN THE LOUVRE
DAVID HOCKNEY (B. 1937)
Two Vases in the Louvre, 1974
Etching and aquatint in colors
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 28/75
Bukowskis Stockholm: 20 April 2021
Estimated: SEK 200,000 – 250,000
SEK 550,000 (Hammer)
SEK 687,500 / USD 81,585
DAVID HOCKNEY
“Two vases in the Louvre”, 1974
Aquatint and soft ground etching in colors
Signed in pencil and numbered 2/75
Shapiro Auctioneers: 10 June 2020
Estimated: AUD 30,000 – 50,000
AUD 48,000 / USD 33,610
DAVID HOCKNEY (B. 1937)
Two Vases in the Louvre, 1974
Etching and aquatint in colors
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 17/75
Swann Auction Galleries: 16 May 2019
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 27,500
DAVID HOCKNEY
Two Vases in the Louvre, 1974
Color etching on Inveresk mould-made paper
Signed, dated and numbered 62/75 in pencil, lower margin
Phillips New-York: 23 April 2019
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 40,000
DAVID HOCKNEY
Two Vases in the Louvre, 1974
Etching and aquatint in colors on Inveresk mould-made paper
Signed, dated and numbered 5/75 in pencil
Christie’s New-York: 18 April 2019
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 20,000
USD 30,000
DAVID HOCKNEY (B. 1937)
Two Vases in the Louvre, 1974
Etching with aquatint in colors on Inveresk paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 73/75
XXXXXXXXXX
Two Vases in The Louvre (8/75)
Sotheby’s London: 27 March 2018
Estimated: GBP 10,000 – 15,000
GBP 16,250 / USD 23,010
Two Vases in The Louvre (48/75)
Christie’s London: 19 September 2017
Estimated: GBP 10,000 – 15,000
GBP 27,500 / USD 37,170
Two Vases in The Louvre (62/75)
Bonhams New-York: 17 November 2015
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 25,000
USD 18,750
Two Vases in The Louvre (68/75)
Christie’s London: 17 September 2015
Estimated: GBP 10,000 – 15,000
GBP 22,500 / USD 34,895
Two Vases in The Louvre (19/75)
Christie’s New-York: 24 April 2014
Estimated: USD 18,000 – 25,000
USD 22,500
Two Vases in The Louvre (29/75)
Sotheby’s New-York: 1 November 2013
Estimated: USD 18,000 – 24,000
USD 30,000