Jesse James
On December 7th Phillips will hold the 20th Century and Contemporary Art Evening Sale. The event will take place in New York City and will feature a rarely seen landscape painting by David Hockney. The piece, titled Nichols Canyon, was painted by the artist back in 1980. The work is known as “one of Hockney’s greatest masterpieces.”
The work currently has a pre-sale estimate of around $35 million USD. Phillips spoke about the artwork in a statement. They described the work as “unequivocally the most important landscape by the artist in private hands.” The statement goes on to say, “it was one of only two monumental works Hockney executed following his return to painting from a brief hiatus spent exploring photography in the 1970s; the other, Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio, is held in the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.”
‘Nichols Canyon’ features a modern depiction of Los Angeles. The piece also served as the start of his richly-painted, bold panoramas of the city. Hockney spoke about his inspiration. He stated: “The moment you live up here, you get a different view of Los Angeles. First of all, these wiggly lines seem to enter your life, and they entered the paintings.” The artist continued, “I began Nichols Canyon. I took a large canvas and drew a wiggly line down the middle, which is what the roads seem to be. I was living up the hills and painting in my studio down the hills, so I was traveling back and forth every day, often two, three, four times a day. I actually felt those wiggly lines.”
Take a look at the painting in the images and check out Phillips’ official website to learn more. In the meantime, keep it locked with The Culture Curators for more from the art department coming soon.
Photos via Phillips
