The Grand Stage for a Grand Vision
David Hockney—artist, innovator, eternal optimist—knows a thing or two about making a splash. This April, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris will host the largest exhibition of his career, an expansive visual feast featuring over 400 works that map out his artistic evolution from 1995 to today. Curated by the distinguished Sir Norman Rosenthal, in collaboration with Hockney and his longtime partner and studio manager Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, the exhibition is poised to be a landmark event in contemporary art.
The 87-year-old British master, never one for self-effacement, is unequivocal in his assessment: It’s going to be very good. And who would doubt him? With a practice spanning seven decades, Hockney has consistently redefined what painting can be, embracing oil, acrylic, digital media, video, and installation with an insatiable curiosity.
A Bigger Exhibition for a Bigger Vision
Occupying all 11 rooms of the Paris institution, the exhibition brings together works from international museums, private collections, and Hockney’s own studio. While it primarily focuses on the past 25 years—his time spent in Yorkshire, London, and Normandy—it also reaches back to his iconic early works.
Among them, A Bigger Splash (1967) and Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972) set the stage, the latter famously shattering auction records in 2018 when it sold for $90.3 million at Christie’s. Today, that honor belongs to Jeff Koons’ Rabbit (1986), but Hockney’s place in history remains unchallenged.
More recent works highlight his deep connection to nature, from the rolling landscapes of Yorkshire to the tranquil gardens of Normandy, many of which were captured on an iPad. The exhibition culminates in never-before-seen pieces, including After Munch: Less is Known than People Think (2023) and After Blake: Less is Known than People Think (2024), tributes to Edvard Munch and William Blake, alongside Hockney’s latest self-portrait. The grants also fund curatorial fellowships that push boundaries. Miss Tiger delves into Alex Sanchez, the visual mind behind Blueboy magazine, while Alinta Sara interrogates race and representation in Morocco. It’s a nod to research as rebellion, as art’s parallel act of creation.
What makes Hockney so enduringly relevant? His fearless embrace of new technology, his obsession with color, and his relentless optimism in the face of an ever-changing world. While some artists retreat into nostalgia, he leaps forward, turning iPads into canvases and digital tools into brushes. His Normandy period, born out of lockdown solitude, produced works that shimmer with an almost supernatural light, proving that constraint can be the birthplace of reinvention.
And now, Paris gets to witness it all. With the first volume of Hockney’s catalogue raisonné set for release in 2026, this exhibition is more than a retrospective—it’s a declaration. A love letter to painting, to innovation, and to the sheer, unrelenting joy of seeing the world anew.
Want to experience Hockney’s world in full color? The exhibition runs from April 9 to September 1, 2025, at Fondation Louis Vuitton. Don’t miss the chance to step inside the mind of a master.