Henry At The Table
Signed Print

Printed in an edition of 96 this is a classic work from the 1976 Friends portfolio Hockney published in association with the Gemini print workshop in LA. Depicting Hockney’s close friend, the curator Henry Geldzahler, it shows the sitter at a table which has been covered with a dark floral print. On top of the table is a houseplant in a pot. The figure of Geldzahler is shown with his elbows resting on the table, his hands tightly clasped, his expression lost in thought. We are shown his face in profile, in contrast to most of the portraits in this series which tend to face their sitters head on. Geldzahler is the subject of four portraits in this series showing his closeness to the artist and the intimacy of their relationship. While Henry Geldzahler With Hat presents the curator in a more sketchy style, here we find a more detailed portrait, with large shaded areas and careful attention to tone and shadow that add depth to the composition. While the centre of the image is undoubtedly Geldzahler, the eye is also caught by the pot plant and the chair which both vie with the figure for our attention, showing Hockney’s ability to incorporate both the still life and interior into his portraits.