The Grand Rapids Art Museum has opened "David Hockney: Perspective Should Be Reversed," a comprehensive exhibition of 145 prints and multiples spanning the British artist's six-decade career from 1954 to the present. Sourced from the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation's collection, the show is organized thematically rather than chronologically, highlighting Hockney's diaristic subjects and his restless experimentation with print and photographic technologies, from hand-colored lithographs to iPad drawings.
The exhibition matters because it offers a rare, in-depth look at Hockney's printmaking practice, which is often overshadowed by his paintings. By tracing his technical innovations—from Polaroid composites to photocopier prints—alongside his traditional printmaking foundation, the show underscores how Hockney's deep knowledge of materials and processes has driven his artistic evolution. It also contextualizes his personal journey, including his move to America and embrace of his gay identity, within his broader creative output.