WHAT? David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Paintings

WHERE? Serpentine North, West Carriage Drive, London W2 2AR

WHEN? Now until 23rd August. Free to view

WHY GO? To connect with nature. Hockney’s creative sojourn in Normandy (during lockdown) has been well documented, and now his monumental Normandie frieze is in London for the first time, unveiled at the Serpentine North Gallery and it could not be a more appropriate setting, other than Normandy itself.

This is Hockney’s homage to the Bayeux Tapestry, and similarly it’s a long and winding frieze that wraps around the gallery walls to dramatic effect.

This digital artwork fuses together 100 iPad paintings and pays tribute to nature and the changing seasons. The exhibition also includes a large-scale mural that echoes his own garden in Normandy, displayed just outside the gallery and open to the elements.

At 88, Hockney still works daily experimenting with new artworks on his treasured iPad.

Linking a series of brand new portraits of his friends and carers also on display, Hockney depicts a gingham tablecloth as the central motif of each composition, a nod perhaps to his love of Francophile accoutrements.

Colourful and uplifting, Hockney’s new artworks will delight fans old and new, and this free exhibition provides a joyful start to Spring!

IN THE KNOW Margate’s Turner Contemporary Gallery are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year, and as a tribute, David Hockney has transformed their iconic floor-to-ceiling Sunley window which overlooks Margate’s beaches. From Normandy to Margate and the North Sea!