Literature

The David Hockney Foundation.

Ruth E. Fine, Gemini G.E.L.: Art and Collaboration, National Gallery of Art, Washington, illustrated and discussed on pp. 156–157.

David Hockney Prints, Tokyo Museum Catalogue. (This work and Celia Elegant are not included.)

Public Collections

National Gallery of Art

McNay Art Museum

National Gallery of Australia

Provenance

Private Collection, Ontario.

Condition

In good condition.

Catalogue Note

Executed in 1979, Celia Musing belongs to David Hockney's celebrated series of five monumental lithographic portraits of his lifelong friend and muse, the renowned textile designer Celia Birtwell. Produced in collaboration with Gemini G.E.L. and master printer Kenneth Tyler, the series represents one of the defining achievements of Hockney's mature printmaking and one of the finest portrait portfolios of the late twentieth century.

Celia Birtwell occupied a unique place in Hockney's life and art. Having known her since the 1960s, the artist returned to her likeness repeatedly over the following decades, not in search of a single definitive portrait but to capture the many facets of her personality. As Hockney famously remarked:

"Celia is one of the few girls I know really well. I don't bother getting the likeness in her face because I know it so well. She has many faces and I think if you looked through all the drawings I've done of her, you'd see that they don't look alike."

The present portrait conveys a quiet, reflective mood through an astonishing economy of means. Broad washes of liquid tusche establish subtle tonal relationships while a few confident, calligraphic lines define Celia's expression with remarkable psychological sensitivity. The apparent simplicity of the image disguises an exceptionally sophisticated lithographic process, preserving the spontaneity and immediacy of a drawing executed directly from life.

Working at home, Hockney painted directly onto aluminium lithographic plates using large brushes and liquid washes of varying intensity. From these he created five related editions—Celia Musing, Celia Weary, Celia Amused, Celia Inquiring and Celia Elegant—each exploring a different emotional state while celebrating one of the longest and most important artistic friendships of his career.

The image achieved a second life in 1980 when it was selected as the poster for the world première production of Michael Cristofer's The Lady and the Clarinet at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, directed by Gordon Davidson and starring Stockard Channing. Its adoption for the production reflects the timeless elegance and quiet theatrical presence of Hockney's portrait.

Published in an edition of only one hundred impressions, Celia Musing is widely regarded as one of Hockney's finest portrait lithographs. Combining technical brilliance, emotional subtlety and an enduring personal connection between artist and sitter, it remains a landmark achievement in contemporary British printmaking.