Name: Celia In An Armchair
Brand: David Hockney
Rating: 5 (236 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of David Hockney’s Celia In An Armchair (signed) is estimated to be worth between £12,500 and £19,000. This lithograph print, created in 1980, has an auction history of 8 total sales since its entry to the market on 29th October 2009. Over the past 12 months, the artwork has sold twice, with an average selling price of £11,805. In the last five years, the hammer price has ranged from £11,693 in November 2024 to £17,765 in December 2023. The average annual growth rate of this work is currently at -11%. The edition size of this piece is limited to 74.

Meaning & Analysis

This stunning work by David Hockney sees the artist combining the sketchy lines of his etchings with the looser brustrokes of the lithographs he was making around the time this work was published in 1980. Celia Birtwell, Hockney’s close friend and constant muse, is shown curled up in an armchair, her head turned to the side in profile, her hand resting underneath her chin. She appears to be listening intently to someone ‘offscreen’, her elegant features seemingly unaware of the artist’s gaze. She wears a sheer top embroidered with flowers or an abstract pattern, and a full pleated skirt which covers her legs. Here Hockney has mixed his style of brush marks to pay particular attention to his model’s face, hair and clothes while her hands and feet remain indistinct. He has sketched in her shadow on the high backed armchair and the impression is one of soft light, of a cosiness and intimacy that can only be shared between close friends. Speaking of his love for the designer as both friend and subject Hockney said, “Celia has a beautiful face, a very rare face with lots of things in it which appeal to me. It shows aspects of her, like her intuitive knowledge and her kindness, which I think is the greatest virtue. To me she’s such a special person.”