Provenance and history of the David Hockney prints
according to leading authority on Hockney prints, Peter Webb.
Illustrations for Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm
David Hockney had read and liked all 220 of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales and had admired earlier illustrations of them by Arthur Rackman and Edmund Dulac. In 1969 he decided to make his own illustrations.
39 etchings were drawn on to copper plates and etched by David Hockney in London in 1969. Proofs were pulled by Maurice Payne and the editions printed by Piet Clement in Amsterdam in 1970.
Signed Edition: A signed and numbered portfolio edition of 100 was produced together with 15 artist’s proofs.
Unsigned Edition: There were 400 unsigned sets, together with an additional 15 artist’s proofs.
Cancellation: On completion of these editions the plates were defaced by diagonal scores and two cancellation proofs pulled. No further impressions can be taken.
The Blue Guitar
The twenty etchings illustrating The Blue Guitar were drawn directly on to copper plates and etched by David Hockney in 1976/77. Proofs were pulled by Maurice Payne and the editions printed from steel-faced plates in London and New York. They were published by Petersburg Press in 1977.
Editions: The prints were produced in a signed and numbered edition of 200 together with 37 artist’s proofs.
Poems of Cavafy
The thirteen etchings illustrating the poems were drawn directly on to copper plates by David Hockney in 1966. The editions were printed by Maurice Payne and Daynon Black at the Alecto Studios in London in 1966/67.
Unsigned Edition: The prints were produced inb an unsigned edition of 500, with 50 artist’s proofs. 250 of these included the additional print Portrait of Cavafy II.
Signed Edition: A signed and numbered portfolio edition of 100 was produced, together with 15 artist’s proofs. 25 of these included the additional print Portrait of Cavafy II.
Cancellation: On completion of these editions, the plates were defaced and presented to the Museum of Modern Art, New York after the pulling of the cancellation proofs.