April 2020. David Hockney was spending lockdown at his home in Normandy, in the Pays d’Auge region. In the middle of the night, he was awakened by an unusual light: through his window, he saw a magnificent full moon, larger and closer than usual. Without hesitation, he grabbed his iPad and sketched what he saw from his window.
It just so happened that the artist had just read Maupassant’s wonderful short story, "Clair de lune", which is set in the same landscape. That was all it took for Hockney to decide to begin a series of works: painting every full moon throughout the year. The result is 15 night-time landscapes spanning from April 8th to December 5th, 2020. On the night of October 31st, Hockney produced five drawings, this time changing his viewpoint: he left his window and went out into the garden. We can see the façade of the house with its lit up windows and the moon moving across the sky, from evening to morning. The last work in this series features Christmas decorations and an illuminated tree.
This collection of iPad paintings was first shown at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen in 2024, then at the Fondation Louis Vuitton last year. Each work was printed on paper in the artist’s studio and then mounted on aluminium. Fifteen copies were printed, numbered and signed.
"A Year in Normandie", the huge fresco inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, will be on display at the Serpentine Gallery in London from March 12th, along with his latest paintings.
