Hockney’s Muse
Staff | phillips.com | 1st August 2022
A piece related to a forthcoming auction of Hockney’s work. Celia Birtwell has featured in Hockney’s portraiture for over five decades and they are close friends. Their closeness isn’t a problem for him – “knowing her [really well] makes it always slightly different”. Each sitting is an opportunity to portray character rather than draw her likeness. Their friendship doesn’t mean that she likes every work. She described a recent effort as “horrible” before adding, ruefully, “he sees you as you really are.”