Books Illustration Product Publication Solo artist

David Hockney. A Bigger Book | TASCHEN

posted by Alice Harrison October 23, 2016

Spectacular in both size and scope, TASCHEN presents it’s SUMO-sized David Hockney monograph, celebrating more than 60 years of work from the beloved British artist. Measuring at over two feet tall and a foot-and-a-half wide thanks to the custom designed stand by Marc Newson, TASCHEN continue with the larger-than-life genre, which they first pioneered in 1999 with the Helmut Newton SUMO, the largest book of the 20th century, according to The Guardian. The immense scale invites readers to immerse themselves within Hockney’s extraordinary landscapes as each page unveils a beautiful blaze of complimentary colours, showcasing the artist’s undeniable talent and vibrancy as a colourist.

Spending his teenage days at the Bradford School of Art, Hockney received a traditional training based on life drawing and produced figure studies, portraits and cityscapes, selling his renowned Portrait of my Father at the Yorkshire Artists Exhibition in 1957.

1960’s London saw his breakthrough, as Hockney presents both his first solo and sell out exhibition, David Hockney: Pictures with People In in 1963. David Hockney. A Bigger Book features over 450 works selected specifically by Hockney and co-editor Hans Werner Holzwarth over the duration of a year, from the early stages, to his life in Los Angeles in the 1970’s, up to his more recent series of Yorkshire landscapes, portraits and iPad drawings.

Such a sensational portrayal of work is of course a work of art in itself, thus the publication is being produced in a limited, numbered edition of 9,000 with each copy signed by the artist. Come 2017, a major retrospective will be opening at Tate Britain, just prior to the artist’s 80th birthday, celebrating the successes of an epic career.

The Hockney SUMO withholds 498 pages and 13 fold-outs, plus an illustrated 680-page chronology book which contextualises Hockney’s art with visuals and text based on the artist’s own writings as well as contemporary reviews. David Hockney. A Bigger Book will be released in November and is available for pre-order here.

www.taschen.com
www.hockneypictures.com