The Start Of A Spending Spree And The Door Opening For A Blonde
Signed Print

This signed etching by David Hockney is plate 3 from his celebrated A Rake’s Progress series. Produced in an edition of 50 it is titled The Start Of A Spending Spree And The Door Opening For A Blonde and shows the figure of the young artist in profile, a large bottle of what we can presume to be some kind of liquor on his head, facing a door that has become a portal to the ocean. A red sun, reminiscent of Japanese iconography, is setting over the water and palm trees can be found on either side of the door, suggesting a dream or desire for the West Coast. He would later make this dream a reality when he moved to Los Angeles in 1964, swapping what he saw as the greyness of London for bright sun and a pastel palette. While many artists were moving to New York to further their careers and to become part of a vibrant scene that had produced Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art among other movements, Hockney went against the grain. In this scene – and many others throughout the series – we perceive some of the loneliness or isolation he felt in the East Coast city which comes across as cold and empty, perhaps explaining his decision to go West.