Rare David Hockney Dog Painting Goes for $3 Million USD at Christie's

The first of the artist’s beloved dachshund paintings to hit the auction block.

Summary

David Hockneys' 1995 work "Dog Painting 17" will be auctioned at Christie's London on October 14

The painting, which depicts his first dachshund, Stanley, curled up on a bed, is just one of six works from the artist's "Dog Series" believed to be in private hands

Just as iconic as David Hockney’s draw to Californian pools or the rolling hills of Yorkshire, as real Hockney heads know, was his love for his dogs, Stanley and Boodgie. The dachshunds starred in his painted “Dog Series,” created between 1994 and 1995. And for the first time, one of them is hitting the auction block.

“Dog Painting 17” (1995) heads to Christie’s London on October 14, carrying an estimate of £1.5 million to £2.5 million GBP ($1.99 million to $3.3 million USD). The painting figures Stanley fast asleep, curled up in a dog bed, and is only one of six from the series believed to be in private hands, according to the house, with the rest in the keeping of the David Hockney Foundation. “This is such an exciting painting for us,” said Tessa Lord, Christie’s head of postwar and contemporary art. “The rarity is kind of extraordinary.”

While the piece embodies the spontaneity and textural fluidity of Hockney’s brushwork, “Dog Painting 17” also highlights an important chapter for the late British legend. It was created during a time of immense grief for Hockney, having lost several friends to AIDS and one of his closest to pancreatic cancer. His dogs, and the dog paintings, provided some much-needed light in a dark period.

“He felt such a loss of love, this was kind of a catharsis for him,” Lord continued. “I love the fact that there is this kind of innocence to it but it is so much more than that. There’s a universality to it … it’s so much more than just a portrait of a dog.”

“Dog Painting 17” will be on view at Christie’s London galleries between October 8 and when it goes under the hammer during Frieze London.