Hazelhurst Arts Centre will host a major travelling exhibition, David Hockney: Prints 1961-2015 consisting of 80 works by pop artist David Hockney, one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.
David Hockney was an important contributor to the 60s pop art movement and this is the first exhibition of his work at Hazelhurst.
Works are drawn from the National Gallery of Australia's extensive collection from 1961 to the present day.
Sutherland Shire Mayor, Carmelo Pesce, said he was thrilled Hazelhurst would be hosting the work of one of the world's most important artists.
''I hope as many people as possible take this rare opportunity to see this exhibition,'' Cr Pesce said.
Belinda Hanrahan, Director, Hazelhurst Art Gallery, said this exhibition was one of the highlights in the gallery's program for 2019
''We know this exhibition will be hugely popular,'' Ms Hanrahan said.
''David Hockney has been an important figure on the international art scene for half a century, and he has been among the most experimental in terms of embracing new art forms and technologies.''
David Hockney: prints 1961-2015 will explore the broader history of his printmaking practice through key works from the NGA's extensive collection.
Since 1954, making prints has been an integral part of his art practice and he has excelled in the field. During a period that has witnessed a revival in this art form, Hockney has created a significant body of work. Through constant experimentation and innovation he has pushed the boundaries of printmaking in terms of style, subject matter, technique and scale, giving him a different point of view in his art practice.
Drawn from the National Gallery's collection of David Hockney's works on paper from 1961 to present, this exhibition highlights the depth and scope of the artist's printmaking output.
As a young artist, Hockney explored his sexual identity and experiences through painting and printmaking by developing a subversive iconography relating to his homosexuality.
''I love new mediums. I think mediums can turn you on, they can excite you; they always let you do something in a different way,'' Hockney has said.
Now 81-years-old and a towering figure in British art, Hockney seeks to explore the age-old questions of how to create a portrait, how to depict a landscape and season, and how to indicate space and time in two-dimensional art forms.
National Gallery of Australia Curator Jane Kinsman said David Hockney: Prints is an insight into the mind of an iconic artist still searching for new ways of seeing and depiction.
"Approaching the medium with a glorious lack of inhibition, Hockney is the ultimate eclectic creator," Kinsman says.
''Inspired by sources ranging from Pablo Picasso to Pop Art, Walt Whitman to the Brothers Grimm, and the exhilarating experience of living and working in Los Angeles, the artist develops his prints using lithography and etching, photocopiers and fax machines, and - most recently - iPhones and iPads for startling results in the digital world.''
- David Hockney: Prints 1961-2015 is on at the Hazelhurst Art Gallery from July 13 to September 8.