Name: Fundevogel
Brand: David Hockney
Rating: 5 (236 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of David Hockney’s Fundevogel (signed) is estimated to be worth between £1,850 and £2,800. This etching print, created in 1969, has shown consistent value growth over the years, with an auction history of five total sales since its entry to the market in October 2005. In the last 12 months, there have been no sales. However, in the last five years, the hammer price has ranged from £706 in September 2020 to £2,200 in September 2023. The artwork demonstrates an average annual growth rate of -6%. This work is part of a limited edition of 100.

Meaning & Analysis

Fundevogel is a signed etching by British artist David Hockney from 1969, depicting a serene valley surrounded by mountains. Represented by the view is the common German landscape that inspired the Grimm fairy tales and was used by Hockney as a basis for his illustrations of the titular fable. Before starting to work on Six Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, his first handmade book of etchings published by the Petersburg Press in association with the Kasmin Gallery in 1970, Hockney travelled down the Rhine River to experience the countryside that serves as a background for many of the classic German fairy tales. Alongside Fundevogel, A Wooded Landscape (1969) is another of Hockney’s prints inspired by his encounter with the German landscape.

Although the print relates to Fundevogel, the artist chose not to feature the story’s main characters: a girl, her foundling brother, and a cruel cook who threatens the siblings that he will put the boy in a large pot and boil him to death. The desolateness of the landscape contributes to the spooky atmosphere that dominates the print and defines the very mood of the Grimm fairy tale. In the story, the girl and the foundling run away and transform themselves into a series of objects in order to escape the cooks’ servants.

Similarly to the Cavafy prints, in which the artist experiments with the poem’s subject matter rather than faithfully represents it, the Grimm etchings do not illustrate specific events, but evoke a particular world, atmosphere or trope defining the narrative. Hockney commented in the context of Six Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, “I’d always enjoyed the fairy tales very much and thought I'd like to illustrate them, make a book rather like the Cavafy book, taking some of the stories; I'd read them all, about three hundred and fifty.“

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.