Details

Artist: David Hockney (British, b. 1937) (1937 - )
Title: Portrait of Mother I, from Moving Focus, 1985
Series: Moving Focus, 1984
Medium: Lithograph in colors on TGL handmade paper.
Image Size: 20 1/5 × 17 1/10 in (51.2 × 43.5 cm)
Sheet Size: 20 1/5 × 17 1/10 in (51.2 × 43.5 cm)
Edition: Numbered from the edition of 25 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-101979

Historical Description

David Hockney, Portrait of Mother I, from Moving Focus, 1985, is one of the most intimate and visually distinctive portraits from David Hockney’s landmark Moving Focus series, created during a period of extraordinary experimentation in the artist’s career. The work depicts Hockney’s mother, Laura, one of his most important and frequently portrayed subjects. Through expressive color, simplified forms, and direct observation, Hockney transforms a personal family portrait into a moving exploration of character, perception, 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 new approach that reflected how the human eye naturally experiences a person or environment by shifting attention and observing individual details 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 a highly formal portrait, Portrait of Mother I captures Laura Hockney seated directly before the viewer with her hands gently folded in her lap. Her face is constructed through energetic passages of pink and red, while her dark green clothing creates a strong contrast with the surrounding white paper. Loose lines describing her white hair, chair, and leafy background give the portrait an immediate, almost sketch-like quality. The result is affectionate and deeply personal, balancing Hockney’s experimental use of color with a quiet sense of familiarity.

Works from Hockney’s 1980s period are among the most sought-after and collectible editions of his career. During this remarkable decade, he reconsidered the possibilities of modern portraiture while pushing the technical and visual boundaries of printmaking. With a standard edition of only 25, Portrait of Mother I is considerably rarer than many works from the Moving Focus series, making signed examples especially difficult to acquire.

Produced in collaboration with the legendary master printers at Tyler Graphics, Portrait of Mother I showcases Hockney’s command of color lithography. Printed on luxurious white TGL handmade paper, the work combines richly applied color with delicate, open line work that preserves the spontaneity of the original drawing. Published by Tyler Graphics Ltd. in Bedford, New York, with its blindstamp, the full sheet measures approximately 20⅛ by 17 inches. It stands as a refined and emotionally direct example of Hockney’s mastery of the printmaking medium.

Museum Collections:

The significance of Portrait of Mother I is reflected by its inclusion in the permanent collections of internationally recognized museums, including:

Tate, London

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Its presence in these prestigious institutions underscores the importance of both the Moving Focus series and Hockney’s innovative contributions to late twentieth-century portraiture and printmaking.

This example, numbered from the limited edition of only 25 and hand signed and dated by David Hockney, represents an outstanding opportunity to acquire one of the artist’s most personal and desirable print editions. An additional 12 artist’s proofs were produced outside the standard edition. Combining rarity, historical significance, exceptional craftsmanship, and the emotional importance of its subject, Portrait of Mother I is an important 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 Portrait of Mother I, from Moving Focus, 1985 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonné 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 281.

  1. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

David Hockney (British, b. 1937)

Portrait of Mother I, from Moving Focus, 1985

Lithograph in colors on TGL handmade paper.
from the edition of 25 in pencil in the lower left.
hand signed by David Hockney (Bradford 1937-) in pencil in the lower right.
 
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