David Hockney Marries an Old Maid (M.C.A.T 19) For Sale

  • Hockney Marries an Old Maid

    David Hockney Marries an Old Maid

    Facts | History | Meaning
    Catalogue Title:  Marries an Old Maid 
    Year: 1963
    Size 49.0 x 61.0
    Medium:  Etching aquatint 1 zinc plate
    Edition: Edition of 50 TP, signed and numbered in pencil lower right/left.
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  • David Hockney Marries an Old Maid

    ‘I don’t think much changes between 18 and 80, except that your body doesn’t look as good.’ Hockney 

     

     

    Marries an Old Maid is a signed, numbered etching, part of an edition of 50, from David Hockney’s seminal A Rake’s Progress series. Loosely referencing William Hogarth’s 1753 tale of a wealthy ‘Rake’ about town, Hockney reinvents the narrative for a modern ‘Rake’ based on himself, a young gay artist visiting New York, for the first time in the summer of 1961.
    Whilst most of the artworks do not directly relate to the richly textured tapestry of the original version, Marries an Old Maid is closer to the original storytelling, resembling Hogarth’s artwork, Married to an Old Maid. Two figures poke out from a dark archway that appears as if it’s the entrance to a chapel: one figure is clearly rendered as the ‘Rake’, tall and lean with his thinly brimmed glasses, whilst the other is obscured but is a female figure dressed in a loose gown and veil, associated with holy virginal figures.
    Hockney contrasts the outsider status of the ‘Rake,’ casual in short sleeved tee and trousers against the inherent sacredness of the religious ceremony and rituals. The two figures are arm in arm, presumably just married under the chapel archway, which Hockney conveys with ‘halo’ lines around the edge, cementing the sacredness of this union.
    Like the famed story of Dante’s Divine Comedy, whose soul transitioned through the passages of hell, purgatory and heaven on his life journey, this modern tale takes the gay ‘outsider’ through multiple passages of life. It’s disconcerting for the viewer to see the young gay man enter into the tradition of marriage with his female partner but this is another passage of life before he can find resolution and happiness in his own homosexual skin.
  • Buy or sell Marries an Old Maid by David Hockney at Andipa Editions

    Buy Marries an Old Maid 

    Andipa Editions, as part of Andipa, have been at the forefront of the Hockney market for over 20 years. To enquire about buying  Marries an Old Maid by David Hockney, contact us via sales@andipa.com or on +44 (0) 20 7589 2371.

     

     

    Sell David Hockney Marries an Old Maid 

    With a global network of active buyers, Andipa Editions are the place to sell your Marries an Old Maid print. Straight-forward and stress-free, we manage the process on your behalf and help to maximise your return. For a complimentary valuation of your Marries an Old Maid print, contact us via sales@andipa.com or on +44 (0) 20 7589 2371. Explore our collection of David Hockney original prints for sale.