David Hockney at L.A. Louver

In 2019, artist David Hockney moved to Normandy, France, taking up residence in a 17th century cottage and retrofitting a barn on the property to become his painting studio. His new solo show at L.A. Louver includes a series of inkjet prints that explore Hockney’s property, relishing in the textural delights that range from thatched roofs to pebble walkways. Most of the works are devoid of humans and instead focus on well-manicured landscapes pocked by cars. Other works zoom in on Hockney’s internal studio space, delighting with stacked colors, patterns, and bottles of ink that spew across the composition in sprouting formations.

In “Ruby Dreaming,” two dogs preen in the foreground near an artist’s easel in what we presume is the artist’s studio. The background of the drawing pushes out into exterior spaces, suggesting a dynamic tension between the boundaries of indoor space and the wildness of the outdoor, manifested here in a dog’s dream.

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Photo: David Hockney, “My Normandy” at L.A. Louver (installation view). All artworks copyright David Hockney. Image courtesy of L.A. Louver, Venice, CA. Photo by Jeff McLane.