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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

Etching is the Subject

1976/1977

David Hockney

Associated Names

David Hockney

Artist, British, 1937 - 2026

The image features abstract shapes and lines. A horizontal red paintbrush line sprawls across the top. Straight and curved lines on the left resemble a curtain or drapery. Faint green lines in the upper right corner suggest a bottle and spilled liquid. Dark blue hatched lines and spirals center the image like a dense brushstroke. An outlined face within a red rectangular frame is beside the dark blue cluster. The image conveys a sense of organized chaos with artistic tools and subjects in an abstract tableau.

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Artwork overview

Medium

etching, softground etching and aquatint in red, blue, and green (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: 34.5 x 42.5 cm (13 9/16 x 16 3/4 in.)
sheet: 45.7 x 52.4 cm (18 x 20 5/8 in.)
Accession Number

1991.60.14
Catalogue Raisonné

Tankosha 1996, no. 191
Series Title

The Blue Guitar

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. 191.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: David Hockney; lower left in graphite: 18/200; lower center verso stamped: The Blue Guitar / "Etching is the Subject"

Wikidata ID

Q74888457

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