Gustavo Turner
Many people spend their late 70s winding down their working life and reflecting on past glories. Not legendary UK-born, LA-based artist David Hockney: last week he spent his 78th birthday arranging the brand new “Painting and Photography” show which opens tonight at his longtime gallery, LA Louver in Venice Beach (we mean that literally: the @LALouver Instagram account features a photo of Hockney taking a few minutes from his work to blow star-shaped candles on a cake presented to him!). These photos were taken this morning at the secretive press preview before tonight’s official opening. They offer a rare glimpse at the new work next to Hockney himself (who kept telling people “I don’t go out much anymore because I’m so deaf even restaurant noise bothers me”). Think about it: he’s been a major art figure since the ‘60s, he’s still going strong, and he’s still the smartest, most dapper person in the room. All photos by Gustavo Turner.
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