Details

Artist: David Hockney (British, b. 1937) (1937 - )
Title: Four Part Splinge, from Some New Prints, 1993
Series: Some New Prints, 1993
Medium: Lithograph in colors on Arches 88 paper.
Image Size: 49 x 66 in (124.5 x 167.6 cm)
Sheet Size: 49 x 66 in (124.5 x 167.6 cm)
Edition: Numbered from the edition of 48 in pencil in the lower left.
Signature: This work is hand signed by David Hockney (Bradford 1937-) in pencil in the lower right.
Item # W-101988

Historical Description

David Hockney, Four Part Splinge, from Some New Prints, 1993, is one of the most ambitious and visually dynamic works from David Hockney’s Some New Prints series. Begun in 1993 and published in 1994, the composition extends across four separate sheets, transforming a collection of abstract shapes into an energetic exploration of color, movement, rhythm, and spatial relationships. Its large scale and multi-panel structure create an immersive image that appears to expand beyond the limits of a conventional print.

During the early 1990s, Hockney became increasingly interested in figureless compositions in which color, texture, and gesture could define an imagined environment. His abstract studio paintings and Painted Environments from this period deliberately blurred the boundaries between objects, backgrounds, and surrounding space. Some New Prints translated many of these ideas into technically complex graphic works that balance spontaneity with precise construction.

Rather than presenting a recognizable landscape or interior, Four Part Splinge brings together a collection of unusual biomorphic forms across a brilliant turquoise field. A curling yellow form rises through the left side, while a central red structure covered with pointed marks anchors the composition. Black-and-white stripes, purple and green curves, geometric patterns, and sharply contrasting areas of color overlap and connect across the four sheets. The resulting image feels playful and carefully organized while remaining open to interpretation, making it unmistakably Hockney: colorful, inventive, experimental, and visually engaging.

Works from Hockney’s early 1990s period are highly valued for combining his recognizable use of brilliant color with an increasingly abstract visual language. Within Some New Prints, Four Part Splinge is particularly desirable because of its monumental scale, unusual four-part construction, and exceptionally limited production. Signed examples remain difficult to acquire, especially complete impressions with all four sheets properly assembled.

Produced in collaboration with the master printers at Gemini G.E.L., Four Part Splinge combines color lithography and screenprinting on four sheets of Arches 88 wove paper. The four sections join together to create a complete composition measuring approximately 48⅞ by 66¼ inches. Published by Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles with its blindstamps and inkstamp, the standard edition consisted of only 48 impressions, accompanied by 32 artist’s proofs. The fourth sheet is signed, titled, dated, and numbered in pencil, while the other three sheets are individually inscribed “first part,” “second part,” and “third part.”

Museum Collections:

The significance of Four Part Splinge is reflected by its inclusion in the permanent collection of:

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Its presence in this prestigious institution underscores the importance of Some New Prints and Hockney’s innovative contributions to late twentieth-century abstraction and printmaking.

This example, numbered from the exceptionally limited edition of only 48 and hand signed and dated by David Hockney, represents an outstanding opportunity to acquire one of the artist’s largest and most distinctive abstract print editions. Combining rarity, technical complexity, monumental scale, and an exceptionally vivid composition, Four Part Splinge is an important work for serious collectors of modern and contemporary art.

David Hockney’s Some New Prints series, created between 1993 and 1994, marks an important shift toward abstraction in his printmaking. Using vivid color, layered textures, organic shapes, and energetic patterns, Hockney created imaginative compositions that move between landscape, interior space, and pure abstraction. Produced with Gemini G.E.L. through combinations of lithography and screenprinting, the series explores movement, depth, and visual rhythm while preserving the spontaneity of drawing and painting.

The works in David Hockney’s Moving Focus Series (1984–1986) include: Slow Forest, Ink in the Room, Four Part Splinge, Blue Hang Cliff, Going Out, Warm Start.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

David Hockney Four Part Splinge, from Some New Prints, 1993 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and related 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 334.
Gemini G.E.L., catalogue number 1606.

  1. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

David Hockney (British, b. 1937)

Four Part Splinge, from Some New Prints, 1993

Lithograph in colors on Arches 88 paper.
from the edition of 48 in pencil in the lower left.
hand signed by David Hockney (Bradford 1937-) in pencil in the lower right.
 
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