Largest ever retrospective of prints by David Hockney coming to Grand Rapids

Art

May 22

Photo courtesy of Grand Rapids Art Museum

The Grand Rapids Art Museum will present David Hockney: Perspective Should Be Reversed, Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, May 31 through Nov. 2, 2025. This is the largest survey of prints in David Hockney’s 60-year career and the first time the artist’s works will be exhibited in Grand Rapids.

The traveling exhibition features over 160 works in various media, including drawings, collages, photographic works, and iPad sketches, drawn from the collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation in Portland, Oregon.

“To many, David Hockney is the most important artist working today. His images take us on a journey through country roads and gardens and let us view his exploration of perspective. More than any other artist, he has used technology to create art,” said Jordan Schnitzer, ARTnews Top 200 Collector. “Whether it was Xerox prints, Polaroid photographs, or on the iPad, Hockney’s eye and hand create some of the most intriguing and beautiful art ever made!”

Visitors to the exhibition will experience the subjects and series that have come to define the celebrated artist’s international fame, such as his tender and often quirky portrayals of family and friends, Southern California swimming pools, towering panoramas, jumbled studio interiors, and playful theatrical designs.

The works on view reflect Hockney’s career-long exploration into new ways of thinking about art, perception, and the visual world, often commingling tradition with technology. Equally skilled as a painter and printmaker, Hockney experiments with everyday devices like office copiers, iPhones, and iPads to adapt them into printmaking tools, bending art-making rules in playful ways.

“At nearly 88 years old, it is no exaggeration to say that David Hockney is one of the most influential artists of both the 20th and 21st centuries,” said Jennifer Wcisel, Dean and Helga Toriello Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Grand Rapids Art Museum. “This incredible exhibition charts his playful experimentation and deep curiosity about the world around him over the course of his 70+ year career, inviting visitors to share in the joy and beauty of life.”

For more information, including related events such as the Member Exhibition Opening, Open Swim pool-themed party, and Discovery Day, visit https://www.artmuseumgr.org/events.

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