David Hockney, An Image of Celia, State I, from Moving Focus, 1984–86, is one of the rarest and most visually engaging portraits from David Hockney’s landmark Moving Focus series, created during what is widely regarded as the artist’s most important and innovative decade. Executed between 1984 and 1986, this vibrant color lithograph depicts textile designer Celia Birtwell, one of Hockney’s closest friends and most enduring subjects, transforming the traditional seated portrait into an extraordinary exploration of identity, perception, perspective, and memory.

By the early 1980s, Hockney had become increasingly dissatisfied with the fixed viewpoint of traditional Renaissance perspective. Inspired by his groundbreaking photographic “joiners,” he began developing a revolutionary approach to depicting space, one that reflected how the human eye naturally experiences a person or environment by constantly shifting focus and observing it over time. The Moving Focus series represents the culmination of these investigations and stands among the most intellectually significant bodies of work in Hockney’s career.

Rather than presenting Celia from one fixed viewpoint, An Image of Celia, State I reconstructs her reclining figure through overlapping angles and fragmented forms. Celia appears seated within a large armchair, while a second, more loosely rendered image of her figure stretches across the upper portion of the composition. Radiating floor lines and a densely crosshatched background create a shifting sense of depth, while vivid passages of blue, pink, green, red, orange, and black balance precision with spontaneity. The result is an image that is unmistakably Hockney: intimate, playful, sophisticated, and endlessly engaging.

Works from Hockney’s 1980s period are among the most sought-after and collectible of his career. During this remarkable decade, he fundamentally redefined contemporary portraiture and interior representation while simultaneously pushing the technical boundaries of printmaking. With an edition of only 10, An Image of Celia, State I is one of the rarest prints from the Moving Focus series, making examples particularly difficult to acquire.

Produced in collaboration with the legendary master printers at Tyler Graphics, An Image of Celia, State I showcases Hockney’s mastery of color lithography. Printed on luxurious handmade TGL paper, the work possesses a richness of color, texture, and scale that rivals original paintings. As an earlier state of the composition, it preserves Hockney’s developing arrangement before the additional collage and screenprinted elements incorporated into the final version of An Image of Celia. Published by Tyler Graphics Ltd. with its blindstamp, the complete sheet measures approximately 49½ by 39 inches.

Museum Collections:

The significance of An Image of Celia, State I is reflected by its inclusion in the permanent collection of:

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Its presence in these important institutional collections underscores the significance of both the Moving Focus series and Hockney’s revolutionary contributions to late twentieth-century portraiture and printmaking.

This example, numbered from the edition of only 10 and hand signed and dated by David Hockney, represents an outstanding opportunity to acquire one of the artist’s rarest and most desirable museum-quality print editions. An additional six artist’s proofs were produced outside the standard edition. Combining rarity, historical significance, exceptional craftsmanship, and one of the strongest periods of Hockney’s career, An Image of Celia, State I is a cornerstone work for serious collectors of modern and contemporary art.

David Hockney’s Moving Focus series, created between 1984 and 1986, is one of the most ambitious print projects of his career. Moving beyond traditional fixed perspective, Hockney used shifting viewpoints, fragmented forms, expressive drawing, and vivid color to explore how people experience subjects over time. Featuring portraits, interiors, still lifes, chairs, and views of the Hotel Romano Angeles in Mexico, the series was produced with Kenneth Tyler using innovative combinations of lithography, etching, screenprinting, collage, and handmade papers. Together, the works represent a major achievement in modern printmaking and a powerful exploration of movement, perspective, and memory.

The works in David Hockney’s Moving Focus Series (1984–1986) include: Conversation in the Studio, Tyler Dinning Room, Pembroke Studio Interior, Pembroke Studio with Blue Chairs and Lamp, Two Pembroke Studio Chairs, The Perspective Lesson, Amaryllis in Vase, Red Celia, Celia in Green Hat, Hotel Acatlan: First Day, Hotel Acatlan: Second Day, Hotel Acatlan: Two Weeks Later, Views of Hotel Well I, Views of Hotel Well II, Views of Hotel Well III, Walking Past Two Chairs, An Image of Gregory, An Image of Celia, An Image of Celia, State I, An Image of Celia, State II, An Image of Celia Study, Portrait of Mother I, Portrait of Mother II, Portrait of Mother III, An Image of Ken, White Porcelain, A Picture of Two Chairs, Number One Chair.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

David Hockney An Image of Celia, State I, from Moving Focus, 1984–86 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonné and texts. Copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work.

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, catalogue number 278.

1. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.