09/08/2026
In honor of David Hockney (1938 - 2026), this display of my 1975 photoshoot chronicles part of an art adventure to meet several well-known artists, which was organized by Robert Miller (NYC) for a select few. As luck would have it, I was at 23, on the plane to France— my first trip across the Atlantic— Hasselblad camera in tow.
Chief among the artists we met was David Hockney. He was very kind and a great storyteller and the time he spent with our group was memorable. The proofs of my spontaneous photo shoot, filmed in his apartment in Paris, had been lost for a long while, and it’s a joyous discovery to share them now with the community.
David Hockney, an icon, was a great influence on many in the art world and beyond. I found him to be a remarkably kind, witty & unassuming man- not what one would expect of an art world superstar. From one of his stories, I gleaned his prevailing motivation in creating. When asked by a technician why he focused on a particular subject matter he replied,
“Pleasure, pure pleasure!”
-MICHAEL DUNLAP
