10 Facts About Hockney’s Dogs

Hockney adopted his first dachshund, Stanley, in 1987, followed shortly after by Boodgie. The pair became his constant companions, rarely leaving his side. What began as quick sketches of them sleeping or playing evolved into a dedicated body of printmaking work. Hockney’s close bond offered endless visual possibilities, and he once said, “They’re like little people to me.” His dachshunds became not just his muses but also a source of stability and affection during a difficult period in his life.

In the mid-1990s, Hockney lost several close friends to the AIDS crisis, including curator Henry Geldzahler. Struggling with grief, he turned to his dogs as subjects that represented love, comfort and continuity. Through the Dogs prints, Hockney sought to create something loving and restorative, and the simple act of observing Stanley and Boodgie as they slept became a daily ritual. These prints are therefore deeply personal, reflecting not only affection but a longing for connection amid isolation.

By 1998, Hockney had transformed a room in his Hollywood Hills home into a printmaking studio. He worked closely with his friend and master printer Maurice Payne, who prepared the plates that Hockney drew directly onto. This method allowed him to preserve the immediacy of drawing while experimenting with the rich tonal range of etching and aquatint. With his dogs sleeping close by, Hockney could translate spontaneous observations into finished prints within hours, creating a uniquely intimate record of daily life.

Most of Hockney’s dog prints show Stanley and Boodgie curled up or napping on cushions. The artist joked that this was the only time they would stay still long enough for a portrait. These gentle compositions focus on stillness and intimacy, translating everyday domestic scenes into quiet meditations on companionship. The cushion itself also acts as a framing device, giving each print a sense of balance and softness that mirrors the emotional calm Hockney found in their company.

Hockney’s fascination with dachshunds was shared by both Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, who famously immortalised their own sausage dogs in prints and drawings. Picasso’s Lump and Warhol’s Archie and Amos became small emblems of each artist’s private world. In following this tradition, Hockney’s series sits within a wider lineage of artists exploring the intimacy between humans and their pets.

The Dogs prints showcase Hockney’s technical skill as a printmaker. Using etching, he captured the fine wiry texture of his dachshunds’ fur through intricate cross-hatched lines, while aquatint added depth and tone. This combination of techniques gave the prints a delicate realism while maintaining the spontaneity of hand-drawn lines. Mostly rendered in monochrome, these prints are a quiet contrast to the bright exuberance of Hockney’s other Dog paintings.

While Hockney is best known for his Swimming Pools and landscapes, the Dogs prints bring viewers into his domestic life. The intimate scale, household setting and relaxed poses of Stanley and Boodgie reveal that the everyday is just as worthy of artistic attention as the spectacular.

The close attention Hockney gave to Stanley and Boodgie foreshadows the methods he used in his digital drawings and iPad Drawings. The Dogs prints encouraged him to work quickly from life, catching movement and light without over-engineering the composition. That appetite for immediacy became a defining feature of his twenty-first-century practice, with his dachshunds laying the groundwork for the everyday observation that would come to characterise his later work.

The Dogs collection's appeal lies in their blend of recognisable subject matter and personal narrative. Hockney enthusiasts, dog lovers and serious print collectors all value the way these works bridge the artist’s emotional world with technical innovation, offering both intimacy and craftsmanship.

Hockney’s 1998 portfolio Dog Wall comprises fifteen etchings that portray Stanley and Boodgie in various poses. Produced with Maurice Payne in his home studio, these prints reveal Hockney’s ability to turn a fleeting moment into a lasting image.