DAVID HOCKNEY (1937- ) METROPOLITAN OPERA / PARADE. 1981.
80x40½ inches, 203¼x103 cm. Petersburg Press, [London].
Condition B+: small losses, creases and water stains in margins. Silkscreen. Printed on thick paper. Framed.
Hockney, who is admired and collected as a contemporary artist, made brilliant contributions to the world of opera, as a stage and costume designer. He also designed numerous posters. Beginning in 1975 with his work for Stravinksy's The Rake's Progress, until 1990 when he worked on Turandot, Hockney worked for the major opera houses. Among his most memorable productions were Mozart's Magic Flute and Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. His collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera on Eric Satie's Parade is best-represented by this poster. The image, with Hockney's neo-pop décor and costumes, showcases a juggler whose contortions fit eye-catchingly into the poster's elongated format. If the opera itself is not so popular, this image has become a classic. Hockney 94.