David Hockney: Firle exhibition to showcase rare drawings

Ossie Wearing a Fairisle Sweater will be one of the drawings on display at the Wolfson Gallery at Charleston in Firle

A collection of rarely seen drawings by David Hockney is to go on display in East Sussex.

The Wolfson Gallery at Charleston in Firle - home of painter Vanessa Bell - will hold the exhibition of examples of his early works, named Love Life.

A Charleston spokeswoman said the exhibition encapsulated Hockney's "love for life and his profound connection with the world around him".

The exhibition will run from 23 September to 10 March 2024.

The display is named after the 86-year-old artist's act of painting the words "love life" on the wall at an exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2017.

He said at the time: "I love my work. And I think the work has love, actually, I love life. I write it at the end of letters - 'love life, David Hockney'."

Christopher Isherwood's House, Santa Monica, by David Hockney

Curator Chris Stephens said the new exhibition would include some well-known works and some rarely seen.

He said: "I have long believed David Hockney to be one of the greatest draughtsmen of all time and I consider his drawings of the later 60s and 70s to be among the greatest works by him and, for that matter, by anyone else."

The Charleston spokeswoman said: "From a box of matches on a table, to bunches of spring onions and leeks, Hockney's works exemplify his ability to find beauty in the more intimate and seemingly ordinary aspects of life.

"Whether capturing the character of his subjects, or rendering furniture and empty spaces with sensitivity and wit, Hockney's drawings capture a depth of emotion that cannot be easily replicated in grand painted portraits."

Nathaniel Hepburn, director and chief executive at Charleston, added: "Made over 60 years ago, Hockney's drawings of intimate moments still resonate with a freshness and joy.

"It's wonderful to see these works at Charleston - a place where art and experimental thinking have always been placed at the centre of everyday life."