RUFUS HALE, 23RD, 24TH, 25TH NOVEMBER 2015

The British artist Tacita Dean spent time in Los Angeles in 2015, researching at the Getty Institute. She visited Hockney, later filming him smoking in a contemplative state for her work Portraits (2016). When visiting she was accompanied by her eleven-year-old son Rufus. Reminded of himself at the same age, Hockney felt compelled to paint Rufus, who proved to be a very good sitter, becoming very engaged in the process.

“It was completely spontaneous so I was just wearing what I wear every day, which kind of, unusually enough, is a suit and tie. I went there having no idea that I’d be painted by him so I didn’t wear anything special. I’m wearing a sort of tweedish waistcoat, red tie, sort of dark blue trousers, white shirt and dress shoes”.  Rufus Hale