David Hockney's 'Drawing from Life' Returns to National Portrait Gallery with Harry Styles Portrait

The National Portrait Gallery in London will host a major retrospective of David Hockney's work from November 2, 2023, to January 21, 2024. Titled 'David Hockney: Drawing from Life,' the exhibition originally opened in February 2020 but closed after less than three weeks due to the pandemic. It returns over three years later with new works created between 2021 and 2022, including a portrait of pop star Harry Styles. Styles is depicted in a yellow and orange striped cardigan, jeans, and a pearl necklace, seated in a wicker chair at Hockney's home and studio in Normandy. Hockney, born in Bradford in 1937, typically portrays people close to him, such as his mother Laura, former partner Gregory Evans, and designer Celia Birtwell. The portrait of Styles came about through record producer Clive Davis, who spoke of Styles' success and convinced Hockney to contact the singer. Other new works include self-portraits, depictions of Hockney's partner Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, and portraits of his gardener and podiatrist. The exhibition also features earlier portraits from the original 2020 show.