This article came to life when I happened to visit Paris. And with my goal to have a closer look at the gorgeous building of Foundation Louis Vuitton I went to the groundbreaking exhibition titled “DAVID HOCKNEY 25”. Strolling though the halls I realised that this is actually quite a historical moment and without knowing it at first, I witnessed it myself.

But let’s start with basics —

David Hockney (born 1937 in Bradford, England) is one of the most influential British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

He is often celebrated for his bold use of colour and ability to merge traditional and digital media. You will see that once you google him.

It is fair to say he was one of the leading figures in the 1960s Pop Art movement, as he gained fame with iconic works such as A Bigger Splash (1967) and Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972).

Over his seven-decade career, Hockney has explored painting, printmaking, photography, stage design, and, more recently, digital drawings on iPads. The latter is what this author found the most interesting but we will get to that later.

“This exhibition means an enormous amount because it is the largest exhibition I’ve ever had — 11 rooms in the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Some of the very last paintings I’m working on now will be included in it, and I think it’s going to be very good.” — David Hockney.

The Fondation Louis Vuitton dedicated its entire building to a landmark exhibition of David Hockney, running from April 9 to September 1. Bringing together over 400 works spanning seven decades (1955–2025), the show highlights the breadth of Hockney’s practice — from early paintings and double portraits to immersive digital creations and recent iPad works.

Personally curated by the artist alongside his close collaborators, the exhibition places special focus on the past 25 years (thus the name of the exhibition). Vivid Yorkshire landscapes, large-scale seasonal studies, and over 60 portraits. Iconic works such as A Bigger Splash (1967) and Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972) mentioned above are also there. And then later galleries explore his Normandy series, dialogues with European art history, and opera-inspired stage designs.

The exhibition culminates with Hockney’s newest London paintings, influenced by Munch and Blake, offering visitors an intimate glimpse into the evolving imagination of one of the world’s most influential living artists.

Basically, if you don’t know anything at all about David Hockney — this exhibition might be a great way to start.

Ok, seems like this is just a usual exhibition of a world-known artist... Why are you so hyped about it?

Because honestly I have never seen in my life before the situation where in a renowned museum orart institution (like Fondation Louis Vuitton) people would come in and savour the paintings made on iPad, just like they would do in the Louvre or Musee d’Orsay. This is the first time I witnessed the situation when the general public came to see and examine the digital paintings as if they were the alternative, "conservative" kind.

These gorgeous iPad illustrations by David Hockney had the same recognition as any other ‘traditional;’ non-digital painting. We are used to the photo & video works being represented as masterpieces. But this just might be the first time in history, when people actually paid €30 to come look with serious faces (as they do in museums) at something that was created on an iPad.

The paintings that were created on something so ‘secular’ were printed and framed just like any other. And with the help of Hockney’s unique style — it was very hard to spot these are digitals if one had no idea.

This brings another point —

Do we appreciate art differently, when we know it is digital or analogue?

I have witnessed people giving different reactions — some looked surprised once learning the pieces are digital, the others gone mad and even mentioned disappointment. Some people even tried to justify it for themselves, augmenting with a senior age and the complexity of a standing artist's work.

But then, does it change the perspective? Even art buffs like this author might experience a palette of emotions. Myself, for one thing, I always see digital illustrations as a nice practic, but before this exhibition I have never thought of illustrations made with digital tools as an “art art”. The skills and technique are the same, the status is different. Why? No reason at all.

This is so ironic that the artist once made such a pivot in art history in the beginning of his career, David Hockney made us all question again — what is art and how to describe it?

Once again the man proved his point that practically anything can be a masterpiece, one just has to have an idea (and skills) to realise it.

Seems like with DAVID HOCKNEY 25 the new epoch has launched, where we turn digital into a well-received analogue, framing and printing it, for the whole public to get over their bias and enjoy the works.

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