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Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
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Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

The Blue Guitar

1977

David Hockney

Associated Names

David Hockney

Artist, British, 1937 - 2026

Petersburg Press

Publisher

The image depicts a clean, rectangular shape on a beige background with subtle, straight and curved lines adding texture. The composition has an abstract quality, with faint lines blending into the backdrop. In the center-right, the words "THE BLUE GUITAR" are embossed.

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Artwork overview

Medium

portfolio with 20 etchings and double-sided title page
Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Robert A. Hauslohner, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Dimensions

overall: 55 × 48 × 3.3 cm (21 5/8 × 18 7/8 × 1 5/16 in.)
Accession Number

1991.60.1-20

The Blue Guitar

David Hockney

1976

This print shows an elderly person playing guitar. The person is seated and wearing loose-fitting clothing. They appear to have a gaunt face and a bald head. The individual is barefoot and has one leg crossed over the other, with their head bent down and one shoulder raised up. Their skin is pale blue, and the background and the guitar are in darker shades of blue. Surrounding this central print is a background with decorative elements in orange and green. Text on the top and bottom reads, "PABLO PICASSO Spanish 1881" and "THE OLD GUITARIST 1903." — The Old Guitarist

David Hockney

1976

The artwork features geometric and abstract shapes. On the left, there is a tall, slender structure with a lattice pattern next to a zigzag column with a tree on top. On the right, a rectangular block serves as a pedestal for vertically standing shapes with colorful extensions. Below, there is a line-drawn outline of a pottery-like object beside a surface with a spherical pattern. The background includes subtle lines and clouds. — A Tune

David Hockney

1976

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1991

Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1991, 460-461, color repro.

Bibliography

1991

Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1991: p.460.

1996

Tōkyō-to Gendai Bijutsukan. David Hockney: Prints 1954-1995. Tokyo, Japan: Museum of Contemporary Art and Tankosha Publishing Co., 1996, no.

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