Three Kings And A Queen
Three Kings And A Queen
Signed Print
David Hockney
£9,000-£14,000 VALUE (EST.)
$17,000-$27,000 VALUE (EST.)
$15,000-$24,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥80,000-¥120,000 VALUE (EST.)
€10,500-€16,000 VALUE (EST.)
$90,000-$140,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥1,560,000-¥2,430,000 VALUE (EST.)
$11,000-$17,000 VALUE (EST.)
This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
Intaglio, 1961
Signed Print Edition of 50
H 50cm x W 69cm
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2022 | Christie's London - United Kingdom | Three Kings And A Queen - Signed Print | |||
| March 2020 | Christie's London - United Kingdom | Three Kings And A Queen - Signed Print | |||
| September 2018 | Christie's London - United Kingdom | Three Kings And A Queen - Signed Print | |||
| April 2017 | Sotheby's Online - United Kingdom | Three Kings And A Queen - Signed Print | |||
| September 2016 | Sotheby's Online - United Kingdom | Three Kings And A Queen - Signed Print | |||
| April 2013 | Christie's London - United Kingdom | Three Kings And A Queen - Signed Print | |||
| February 2012 | Christie's London - United Kingdom | Three Kings And A Queen - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
This signed print by British artist David Hockney was issued in an edition of 50 in 1961, whilst Hockney was still a student at London’s Royal College of Art, it depicts four abstracted figures placed in sequence. A whimsical piece, Three Kings And A Queen disrupts the form of material culture by allowing the figures of playing card suits to break free from their confines.
Issued in an edition of 50 in 1961, Three Kings And A Queen is a print characteristic of Hockney’s whimsical and tongue-in-cheek approach to making art. The piece comprises a series of four figures, each confined within the geometric space of an oblong. Recalling the rigid forms of playing cards, some of these ‘trapped’ figures are accompanied by the letter ‘K’, denoting ‘King’. During the 1960s, Hockney made an extended use of lettering in his cartoon-like etchings, many of which were inspired by French Dadaist, Jean Dubuffet. Part of the reasoning behind Hockney’s fascination for placing lettering alongside his depictions of figures was the work of other influential ‘60s artists, such as British painter John Hoyland. One of Damien Hirst’s greatest inspirations, Hoyland was well-known for numbering or lettering his works, rather than giving them descriptive titles. It was precisely this practice that Hockney deemed pretentious, and which he wished to draw attention to through parody. Although Three Kings And A Queen may appear simple, it is bound up with a rhetorical and philosophical reasoning characteristic of Hockney’s considered approach to making artworks. Recalling the gilded trompe l’œil frames of A Hollywood Collection, each of the print’s rectangular shapes acts as a frame. Allowing the figures inside of them to break free from their framings – in this case, playing cards – Hockney entertains a different way of ‘seeing’ the visual and material culture around us.
