Entertainment
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
David Hockneys art is known for its vibrant colorsand its iconic images of naked young men in swimming pools and showers. Viewers attending David Hockney Portraits (June 11September 4 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) will see both, along with his signature portraits of family, friends, and lovers. At his hotel suite during a recent stay in New York City, the British-born, Los Angelesbased artist was nattily dressed in a sports jacket, slacks, and tie. His shirt was brightly colored with horizontal stripes that looked as though they could have been painted on the fabric by Hockney himself.
Why do you paint portraits?
To paint my friends.
What makes a portrait by David Hockney a Hockney portrait?
How do you make a memorable image? If we knew, thered be a lot made, wouldnt there? I do know Ive always enjoyed drawing people. Ive never done commissions. I like to record my friends, to see whats going on with them. The Boston show covers 50 years of my portraits, so it has a lot of varietydrawings, paintings, etchings, watercolors, lithographs, photo collages, portraits of individuals and couples.
Youve never been shy about being gay, either personally or in your art. Aside from subject matter, do you think being gay affected your art stylistically?
Ive no idea. Im not one who thinks theres something you can label gay art. I remember in the early 60s I was with a friend at an exhibition in London containing paintings of girls legs. This friend stood looking at the art and said, David, if theres one thing worse than homosexual art, its heterosexual art. I know what he meant: Theres only art.
Do you think your art has contributed to a greater openness for gay images and gay culture in mainstream culture?
It might have. I do know even early in my career I was painting males as sexy, erotic figures at a time when it was mostly females who were portrayed like that. But the influence that might have had is not a topic I think about too much.
Has your work contributed to the greater acceptance of gay people socially over the years?
Possibly. Ive always said, Ill defend myself. Im not speaking for others, but I will speak for myself and defend my way of life as well. Possibly that had an effect.
Could you say a bit more about painting your friends?
What people viewing the show will see is that over the years my friends have stayed the same. New friends come in, and Ive lost a lot of friends through death. But I havent lost friends in other ways. Friends are just too valuable to lose in other ways, arent they?
David Hockney Portraits runs June 11September 4 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the National Portrait Gallery, London, in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. For more information, visit LACMA.org.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
38 Male Celebs Who Did Full Frontal Scenes
November 17 2023 5:18 PM
These are all the celebrities Who came out as LGBTQ+ in 2023
December 31 2023 12:19 PM
29 LGBTQ+ celebs you can follow on OnlyFans
April 18 2024 1:00 PM
26 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
February 28 2024 1:50 PM
16 times male celebrities had to say they weren't gay
April 17 2024 11:57 AM
21 LGBTQ+ reality dating shows & where to watch them
April 03 2024 4:01 PM
15 Unforgettable Gay Kissing Scenes From TV & Movies
February 14 2024 10:20 AM
14 queens who quit or retired from drag after 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
April 04 2024 12:56 PM
40 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
January 04 2024 10:54 AM
The 15 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of 2023
December 04 2023 10:32 AM
Watch Now: The Daily
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Trending stories from our video partner Advocate Channel.
For more videos and shows go to advocatechannel.com.
Latest Stories
10 times Kehlani had our heads spinning with her iconic looks & style
April 24 2024 8:41 PM
Andy Cohen's alleged Bravo exit & 'Housewives' legal drama—here's what we know
April 24 2024 8:11 PM
10 iconic fictional pop stars in film & TV that we're still stanning
April 24 2024 7:22 PM
A TikTok ban in the U.S. is now even more likely—here's why & what it means
April 24 2024 6:41 PM
10 cringeworthy LGBTQ+ characters in film & TV that had us squirming
April 24 2024 6:22 PM
Kim Petras just dropped out of upcoming concerts — and here's why
April 24 2024 5:43 PM
Daniel Bedingfield opens up about his sexuality for the first time
April 24 2024 3:34 PM
Meet the 11 hot singles looking for love on BBC's 'I Kissed a Girl'
April 24 2024 2:58 PM
Lily Gladstone starring in queer role in 'The Wedding Banquet' remake
April 24 2024 2:54 PM
Derrick Barry just dropped PIPING backstage tea at 'Drag Race Live'
April 24 2024 12:51 PM
Chappell Roan is recruiting drag artists for her new headlining tour
April 24 2024 12:50 PM
Billie Eilish wants her 'face in a vagina' & we completely understand
April 24 2024 12:37 PM