Merced River, Yosemite Valley
Merced River, Yosemite Valley
Signed Print
David Hockney
£23,000-£35,000Value Indicator
$50,000-$70,000 Value Indicator
$45,000-$70,000 Value Indicator
¥230,000-¥340,000 Value Indicator
€27,000-€40,000 Value Indicator
$250,000-$370,000 Value Indicator
¥4,580,000-¥6,960,000 Value Indicator
$30,000-$50,000 Value Indicator
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131 x 153cm, Edition of 20, Photographic print
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
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Meaning & Analysis
This 1983 signed print by renowned and well-loved British artist David Hockney depicts the Merced River in Yosemite Valley, an important national park in the US state of California, where Hockney lived for over 30 years of his life. An example of one of Hockney’s ‘joiner’ works, it makes an extended use of collage, and is part of a limited edition of 20.
In Merced River, Yosemite Valley (1983), a key part of British artist David Hockney’s Photo Collages collection of works, the tyranny of the camera’s monocular vision is challenged once again. Here, Hockney turns his attention to the natural world, inscribing his literal and figurative footprint into the landscape of the Yosemite Valley, California. Making sure to include boxes, now empty of the photographic film they once contained, within the overall composition of the piece – they are piled onto the ground at the bottom left of the image – Hockney makes a direct, reflexive nod to the photographic format he is both using and distorting. Portraying a key landmark in the US state of California, his home for over 30 years, Hockney commits lived experience, as opposed to static, ‘lifeless’ imagery, to the card upon which he mounts these many individual photographs. Much like his other photographic works, such as Luncheon At The British Embassy, Tokyo, February 16th 1983 (1983), or Gregory Reading In Kyoto (1983), here a multi-perspectival approach to photography triumphs over its quite literally ‘short-sighted’ counterpart. Taking many small snapshots, each conveying minute details visible only to the eye, Hockney commits the transience of human experience to a fluid and multi-valent artistic form.
British-born artist David Hockney is a kaleidoscopic force in the art world. Born in 1937, Hockney's vibrant palette and innovative techniques have left an indelible mark on contemporary art. A pioneer of the British Pop Art movement in the 1960s, he seamlessly transitioned through various styles, from photo collages to vivid landscapes. Renowned for his exploration of light and space, Hockney's versatility extends to painting, printmaking, photography, and stage design. A captivating storyteller, his works often capture the essence of modern life with a playful yet profound touch. With a career spanning decades, Hockney remains an enduring visionary in the ever-evolving art world.
