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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

Made in April

1976/1977

David Hockney

Associated Names

David Hockney

Artist, British, born 1937

The image includes abstract shapes formed by wavy blue lines resembling a guitar's body. The shapes are filled with scattered splashes and dots in blue and red. A block of text is displayed upside down across the image. The composition may bring to mind a child's craft project or doodling, creating a playful and irregular pattern. The reversed text contributes to the abstract quality, and the overall setup suggests an experimental art piece combining structure and randomness.

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Artwork overview

Medium

softground etching and aquatint in red and blue (printed from 2 copper plates) on wove paper
Credit Line

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

plate: 42.5 x 34.5 cm (16 3/4 x 13 9/16 in.)
sheet: 52.4 x 45.7 cm (20 5/8 x 18 in.)
Accession Number

1991.60.11
Catalogue Raisonné

Tankosha 1996, no. 188

The Blue Guitar

David Hockney

1976

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. — The Blue Guitar

David Hockney, Petersburg Press

1977

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

Artwork history & notes

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. 188.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: David Hockney; lower left in graphite: 18/200; lower center verso stamped: The Blue Guitar / "Made in April"

Wikidata ID

Q74888442

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