David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Julian Opie and Derrick Adams at VFA

David Hockney

As part of a £7 million Let's Do London campaign,  the mayor of London commissioned David Hockney to create a sign for the Picadilly Circus tube station. Hockney reimagined the original red, white and blue sign with a whimsical, typical Hockney-eske iPad purple and yellow design.

Social Media users went wild, making fun of the iPad drawing…and saying that they could do better.

They can't.

David Hockney, at age 83, has been painting every day at his Normandy, France farmhouse, enjoying every day and teaching the world to be grateful for the world around them.

A video of sunrises, titled Remember You Cannot Look At The Sun Or Death For Very Long, that Hockney created on his iPad, is being displayed on a large screen at Picadilly Lights every evening this month, and will also appear on screens in New York, Los Angeles, Seoul and Tokyo.

"What does the world look like? We have to take time to see its beauty." Hockney said, "That's what I hope my work will encourage people to do when they see it on the large screens."

In all his work, Hockney is able to let us see the joy and wonder of the world around him.

Early Morning and My Shirt and Trousers, available at VFA, are examples of the little things that Hockney is asking us to pay attention to… and enjoy.

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol's public persona was that of a creative, wild man who created remarkable art works at The Factory by day and partied at Studio 54 at night. Another side of Andy Warhol, his religious side, is being examined in an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.

Warhol grew up in Pittsburgh. He family members were devout Byzantine Catholics, who attended church regularly. As an adult, he often attended mass, and even had an audience with Pope John Paul II in 1980. The Roman Catholic Church even funded a Warhol film project that was commissioned by the de Menil family, but was never completed.

Toward the end of his life, Warhol painted over 100 versions of The Last Supper. Andy Warhol: Revelation will be on view at the Brooklyn Museum from November 19, 2021 through June 19, 2022. The taxidermied, mounted moose head that Warhol was often photographed sitting under, will be auctioned off next week, with the proceeds will go to the ASPCA.

An exhibit of Warhol's silkscreens, including many of his early work, will be on view at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor, New York. Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop | Works from the Bank of America Collection looks at his paintings and his innovations in silkscreen technique. The museum is using the exhibit as a learning tool for the many school children who will attend, to familiarize a new generation with the importance of an artist who changed the way that the world views art.

The exhibit will be on display through November 7, 2021.

Several of our recent acquisitions, like Grace Kelly,  San Francisco Silverspot and Campbell's Soup/Pepper Pot (and Green Pea) are fine examples of the exceptional fine art prints that Warhol created.

Julian Opie

Julian Opie has been working in his London studio this year, sleeping in his studio at times and jogging along the Thames. He's not alone in his studio; Opie works with seven technicians and three managers…to create works that appear uncomplicated but take incredible technical skill to produce.

Opie's recent  Running People sculptures, composed of anodised aluminum figures mounted on Corlan bases, are available at VFA, as are his acrylic relief Small Bird paintings.

This year Opie's work will be on display at solo exhibits in London, Seoul, Norway, Belgium and Japan.

Derrick Adams

Derrick Adams' work has been setting auction records. One of his figurative paintings sold at Christie's March Post-War to Present auction for twice the expected estimate. Adams' work focuses on the leisure activities of African Americans. His work is playful and very relatable. Paintings from his Floater Series also set records. Self Portrait on Float, a woodblock with gold leaf and college, from the Floater Series is available at VFA.

Please contact us if you would like more information about the work of Andy Warhol, Julian Opie, Derrick Adams or any other the other fine art available at VFA.