A painting by British painter David Hockney entitled “Early Morning, Saint Maxime” was sold at auction in London, Thursday, for more than 24 million pounds ($27.8 million), double the estimated price.
The painting “Early Morning, Saint-Maxime” depicts the sunrise on the French coast of the Cote d’Azur.
Hockney drew this painting at the beginning of his artistic career, between his famous works that represent swimming pools in California, and his subsequent works that belong to collages, but it indicates his increasing tendency to light, as “clear waters sparkle under the threads of dawn”, according to a description Christie’s, which organized the auction.
The house explained that Hockney, who is now 85 years old, was when he painted this painting, living the most beautiful moments of his relationship with Peter Schlesinger, and he was subsequently in a phase characterized by “personal happiness and professional success.”
The painting was shown in 1970 in London as part of the first exhibition of Hockney’s work, and then disappeared from the public eye for more than three decades, and it is one of four paintings inspired by pictures taken by Hockney during his trip through Europe in 1968 with Schlesinger.
Hockney’s “Paul With To Figures” sold for more than $90 million in 2018, and became the most expensive painting by a living artist.