Henry Avoiding The Sun
Signed Print

Henry Avoiding The Sun (1975) is a photograph of an influential museum curator, Henry Geldzahler, taken by David Hockney as part of his Twenty Photographic Pictures series. In 1976, Sonnabed Gallery exhibited photographs included in the series and published them as a portfolio. What distinguishes Twenty Photographic Pictures is not only Hockney’s recourse to photography as a medium but also the uniquely casual context, in which the pictures were taken. Henry Avoiding The Sun captures Hockney’s lifelong friend sheltering from the sun in a shaded corner of a wooden beach house. The man is covered with a striped towel, his eyes are closed, and a gentle smile can be discerned despite the sun that casts a shadow over his face. A straw hat lies on a wooden floor next to the chair, adding to the idyllic atmosphere of the summertime scenery. Henry Avoiding The Sun can be seen as Hockney’s attempt to rediscover his signature themes across a variety of mediums. Here, the image of the summer idyll, associated most strongly with Hockney’s depictions of southern California, draws upon the artist’s close observation of his surrounding reality and the ability to capture candid moments on the photographic film.