David Hockney & Henri Matisse: Line Drawings

Group exhibition

Artemis Greenberg Van Doren Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of works on paper by David Hockney and Henri Matisse, on view from October 10 – November 10, 2001. The exhibition will feature classic works (dated 1918 – 1948) by the French modern master and drawings (from the 60s and 70s) by the contemporary British born artist.

David Hockney & Henri Matisse: Line Drawings marks the first occasion in which the drawings of these two have been exhibited together. This presentation clearly illustrates Matisse’s influence on Hockney as a young artist, and how they both continue to inspire contemporary artists such as Elizabeth Peyton and Karen Kilimnik, among others.

The exhibition will present these two artists in dialogue through their life drawings, primarily executed in pen and ink on paper. Matisse’s works feature female models costumed in ruffled blouses amidst botanical patterns. In his Femme Assise Bras Croises, 1937, the model leans over a settee and gazes at the viewer. David Hockney’s portraits include observations of close friends, such as the nude study of Peter Schlessinger in Peter Reading, 1966. Cecil Beaton, Henry Geldzahler, and the artist’s most celebrated model - Celia Birtwell - also make appearances in these intimate drawings.