David Hockney, Walking Past Two Chairs, from Moving Focus, 1984–86, is one of the most visually engaging prints from David Hockney’s landmark Moving Focus series, created during what is widely regarded as the artist’s most important and innovative decade. Begun in 1984 and completed in 1986, this vibrant mixed-media print transforms an everyday arrangement of furniture into an extraordinary exploration of perception, perspective, movement, 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 an environment by constantly shifting focus and moving through 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 a static interior, Walking Past Two Chairs invites the viewer to experience the room while moving through it. Two wooden high-backed chairs with vivid red seats intersect at shifting angles, while a small red-topped table and vase of pink flowers create a central focal point. The fragmented yellow and green floor, layered perspectives, and overlapping forms produce a composition that feels simultaneously ordered and dynamic. The result is an image that is unmistakably Hockney: playful, sophisticated, and endlessly engaging.

Works from Hockney’s 1980s period are among the most sought-after and collectible of his entire career. During this remarkable decade, he fundamentally redefined contemporary interior and spatial representation while simultaneously pushing the technical boundaries of printmaking. Collectors prize these editions not only for their rarity and exceptional craftsmanship, but because they represent one of the artist’s most groundbreaking creative achievements. As demand for Hockney’s work continues to grow internationally, major prints from the Moving Focus series have become increasingly difficult to acquire, particularly complete examples retaining their original artist-designed frames.

Produced in collaboration with the legendary master printers at Tyler Graphics, Walking Past Two Chairs showcases one of the most ambitious printmaking projects of the 1980s. Combining color lithography on luxurious handmade TGL paper with screenprinting on Plexiglas, the work creates an unusual sense of depth, texture, and movement. Presented in Hockney’s original hand-painted artist-designed frame, the complete composition measures approximately 28 by 46 inches. Published by Tyler Graphics Ltd. in 1986, it stands as one of the finest examples of Hockney’s mastery of the printmaking medium.

Museum Collections:

The significance of Walking Past Two Chairs is reflected by its inclusion in the permanent collections of several internationally recognized museums, including:

Tate, London

Walker Art Center

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

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

This example, numbered from the edition of only 38 and hand signed and dated by David Hockney, represents an outstanding opportunity to acquire one of the artist’s most desirable and museum-quality print editions. An additional 14 artist’s proofs were produced outside the standard edition. Combining rarity, historical significance, technical innovation, exceptional craftsmanship, and one of the strongest periods of Hockney’s career, Walking Past Two Chairs 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 Walking Past Two Chairs, from Moving Focus, 1984–86 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés 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 275.

1. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.