DAVID HOCKNEY'S $2,500 BOOK

Dick Johnson writes:

David Hockney fans take note. The beloved British artist is the subject of a massive new book, David Hockney. A Bigger Book, due out from Taschen in November. Over two feet tall and a foot-and-a-half wide, the mammoth tome comes with a custom designed stand by Marc Newson, and costs a hefty $2,500.

It’s the perfect showcase for Hockney’s vibrantly-colored, brilliantly perceptive works. From the cool blue swimming pools of California to the lush forests of his native Yorkshire, as well as paintings of family and friends, landscapes and portraits alike sparkle in a monograph that is truly spectacular.

This isn’t Taschen’s first rodeo with larger-than-life publications, a genre it pioneered with the 1999 monograph Helmut Newton SUMO, which, according to the Guardian, was the largest book produced in the 20th century. A Hockney SUMO has been a dream of Taschen founder Benedikt Taschen, Hockney’s good friend and Los Angeles neighbor, ever since.

A work of art unto itself, SUMO is being produced in a limited, numbered edition of 10,000, each signed by the artist. The first thousand copies will come with a signed print of his work.

“I know the book is going to last 100 years, at least,” Hockney said in a statement about the book, the most comprehensive survey of his work to date.

It features over 450 works drawn from all stages of Hockney’s 60-year career, beginning with a self-portrait from when he was just 16, way back when he was studying at the Bradford School of Art in 1953. Hockney and co-editor Hans Werner Holzwarth spent a year selecting and sequencing the included works. The publication went through 19 proof versions and 12 dummy copies before it was perfected.

To read the complete article, see:
13 Stunning Photos Take You Inside David Hockney’s New ‘SUMO’ Book (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/david-hockney-a-bigger-book-698846)

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