Printed by

Kenneth Tyler, Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles

Published by

Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles, with their blindstamps and inkstamps on the reverse.

Dimensions

Sheet: 101.6 × 73.7 cm (40 × 29 in.)

Literature

David Hockney Prints, Tokyo Museum Catalogue. (No. 221)

Ruth E. Fine. Gemini G.E.L.: Art and Collaboration. National Gallery of Art, Washington. (No. 833)

The David Hockney Foundation.

Public Collections

National Gallery of Australia

Provenance

Albert White Gallery, Toronto.

Private Collection, United States.

Gallery label affixed to the reverse of the frame.

Condition

In good condition. The irregular paper edges are original and as issued.

Catalogue Note

Executed in 1979, Celia Weary forms part of David Hockney's celebrated series of five monumental lithographs depicting his lifelong friend and muse, the distinguished textile designer Celia Birtwell. Produced in collaboration with Gemini G.E.L. and master printer Kenneth Tyler, the series represents one of the finest achievements of Hockney's mature printmaking.

Celia Birtwell has occupied a unique place within Hockney's art for more than half a century. As one of his closest friends and most enduring sitters, she appears in paintings, drawings and prints spanning several decades. Rather than pursuing a conventional likeness, Hockney sought to capture the changing moods, expressions and psychological presence of someone he knew intimately. As the artist himself observed:

"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."

The five lithographs—Celia Musing, Celia Weary, Celia Amused, Celia Inquiring and Celia Elegant—each explore a distinct emotional state. In the present work, Hockney conveys a quiet introspection through remarkably economical means. Broad liquid washes establish subtle tonal modelling while a handful of fluid lines define the sitter's expression with extraordinary sensitivity. The apparent simplicity of the portrait conceals an exceptional technical mastery of lithography, allowing the image to retain the freshness and immediacy of a spontaneous drawing.

Working directly onto aluminium plates with brushes and liquid tusche, Hockney exploited the full expressive range of the lithographic medium, creating prints that possess both painterly softness and graphic precision. Their monumental scale further enhances the psychological presence of the sitter, transforming an intimate portrait into a commanding work of modern printmaking.

Published by Gemini G.E.L. in an edition of only one hundred impressions, Celia Weary is widely regarded as one of the defining portraits from Hockney's graphic oeuvre. Combining technical innovation, emotional subtlety and the enduring friendship between artist and sitter, it remains one of the most celebrated images in twentieth-century British portrait printmaking.