David Hockney at Work and Play: Photographs by Michael Childers

David Hockney is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. He is best known for his work in the 1960s British Pop art movement and his iconic and vibrant paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools. In this selection of photographs dating from 1972 to 2001, photographer Michael Childers captures the artist at work and at play: in his studio or poolside creating a Polaroid collage, strolling along a garden path, or seductively posing on a lounge chair.

According to David, he first met Michael in 1968, and “. . . we have remained friends ever since.”

These fourteen photographs are by Michael Childers with one exception: the photograph taken by David Hockney’s friend and neighbor, Nick Wilder, which shows the two artists casually seated back-to-back on a garden wall, providing an enduring record of their friendship.

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are by Michael Childers, American, born 1944, and are gifts of the artist.

This exhibition supports Q+Art, a major new Palm Springs Art Museum initiative foregrounding LGBTQ+ voices in the arts.