A group of 17 iPad drawings by David Hockney, titled 'The Arrival of Spring,' sold for a combined £6.2 million ($8.3 million) at Sotheby’s London on Friday, more than doubling their high estimate. Fifteen of the 17 works achieved record prices for the subject, with the top lot, 'The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 – 19 February (2011),' selling for £762,000 ($1 million), breaking the artist's print record three times. The sale was a white-glove result, with 40 percent of the drawings going to American collectors and 65 percent bought online.
The sale underscores the enduring market appeal of David Hockney, now 88, and the growing collector demand for his digital works, which represent a bold shift from his traditional painting practice. The strong results, achieved during Frieze Week in London, also highlight the vitality of the auction market for modern and contemporary art, contributing to Sotheby’s London’s £240 million total over the past six months. The series, originally created on an iPad in 2011 and unveiled at Hockney’s 2012 Royal Academy retrospective, demonstrates how digital art can achieve significant financial and critical success in the traditional auction space.