Hockney and Piero. A Longer Look

London, 2024, National Gallery Company. Cm. 27×23, pp. 112, figg. 64 a colori n.t., br.

This book celebrates how artists have responded in a host of ways to the Gallery’s collection over the last 200 years. A constant reference point throughout the text is David Hockney, and an exclusive interview between him and art critic Martin Gayford discusses artistic influence. The book also explores how Hockney’s interactions with the Gallery have aided his development as a painter in groundbreaking ways. This is particularly evident in his longstanding creative engagement with Piero della Francesca’s The Baptism of Christ, a work that is depicted in two of Hockney’s paintings.

Other chapters recognise the relationship that has existed between contemporary artists, the public, and the National Gallery collection for two centuries, including the pioneering exhibition series The Artist’s Eye, in which artists acted as curators to share Gallery pictures in new ways with broad audiences.