David Hockney: Tales from the Brothers Grimm

Enchanted by Grimm’s Fairy Tales since childhood, David Hockney created a series of singular black-and-white illustrations for six of the stories (two of which are displayed in this gallery), drawing the images directly onto a copper plate and then printing them using the techniques of etching, aquatint, and drypoint. Though replete with allusions to the history of art – most notably Magritte’s paintings – his etchings break away from tradition by depicting the tales’ heroes as lone figures set against a bare background. Devoid of the usual wealth of details and ornamentations, Hockney’s illustrations detach the characters from any specific context, allowing our imagination to run free.