Hockney’s The Arrival of Spring Prints See 671% Resale Growth
The Arrival Of Spring 31at May No. 1 © David Hockney 2011
David Hockney
656 works
David Hockney’s Arrival of Spring print series has emerged as one of the most dynamic portfolios in the contemporary print market. Created using an iPad and printed at monumental scale, the works translate Hockney’s observations of the Yorkshire landscape into vibrant digital compositions.
Since first appearing on the secondary market in 2017, the series has demonstrated strong liquidity, accelerating price growth, and increasing institutional and collector attention.
Recent auction results – including Sotheby’s dedicated Arrival of Spring sales in 2025 and 2026 – have further reinforced the series’ position as one of the most sought-after contemporary print portfolios.
Key Market Insights
• £6.2M white-glove auction – Sotheby’s first dedicated Arrival of Spring sale in October 2025 sold all 17 works from a single collection.
• £3.5M follow-up sale – A second tranche of 16 works sold in 2026, achieving 136% above the low estimate with every lot sold.
• £380,000 new record – Arrival of Spring, 6th May set a new record for the composition during the 2026 sale.
• +611% resale growth – 27th of April delivered the strongest seven-year holding return recorded in the series.
• 37 works traded in 2025 – the highest annual auction volume for the series to date.
Top Performing Arrival Of Spring Prints (7-Year Holding Returns)
Performance across Arrival of Spring prints varies significantly depending on the individual composition. Over a seven-year holding period, all of the works have delivered exceptional appreciation, highlighting the strong resale potential across the portfolio.
The strongest performing works include:
- 27th of April – +611%
- 30th of May – +599%
- 11th of May – +491%
- 31st of May, No.2 – +404%
- 16th of May – +382%
Other compositions also demonstrate strong growth, including 23rd of April (+377%) and 18th of January (+328%), indicating broad price appreciation across the series.
These results illustrate how resale performance is shaped by both composition and timing, with certain images consistently delivering stronger long-term returns.
Arrival Of Spring Auction Performance and Market Benchmarks
In October 2025, Sotheby’s held its first dedicated live auction of Arrival of Spring prints, offering 17 works from a single private collection.
The sale achieved a white-glove result totalling £6.2 million, with every lot sold and all but one work exceeding its high estimate. The auction finished more than 150% above the low presale estimate at the hammer.
Six works made their auction debut, while every previously traded example established a new individual auction record. Notably, several prints from the edition of 25 surpassed earlier benchmarks historically achieved by the rarer edition of 10.
Traditionally, the larger edition of 10 commanded the highest prices due to its scale and scarcity. However, the strength of demand for this collection demonstrated that collector appetite for the series can outweigh traditional rarity premiums, allowing the more widely produced edition of 25 to achieve prices once reserved for the smaller format.
Sotheby's March 2026 Arrival of Spring Sale
Momentum continued in 2026 when Sotheby’s offered the final tranche of works from the same collection. Sixteen additional prints achieved £3.5 million at the hammer, finishing 136% above the low estimate, with every lot sold.
The standout result came from Arrival of Spring, 6th May, which achieved £380,000, setting a new auction record for the composition. Across the group, 13 resale works established new auction records, outperforming their previous results by between 10% and 230%.
Together, these sales confirm both the sustained strength of the Arrival of Spring market and the significant impact that single-owner collections and concentrated demand can have on pricing dynamics.
The key question now is where the market stabilises following this period of exceptional supply and competitive bidding. While the October 2025 and early 2026 auctions established new benchmarks for several compositions, they were also driven by the unusual concentration of works from a single collection. As supply normalises, future results will provide a clearer indication of whether these elevated price levels represent a new long-term baseline or a peak created by a uniquely competitive auction environment.
Arrival of Spring Print Market Growth Since 2017
Since first entering the secondary market in 2017, Arrival of Spring has demonstrated significant growth in both average auction values and sales volume.
Early trading in the series remained relatively modest. Average hammer prices increased from £29,000 in 2017 to £43,700 in 2018, stabilising around £43,500 in 2019.
Momentum began to build in the early 2020s as collector interest in Hockney’s digital works expanded. Average values rose to £51,800 in 2020 and £100,700 in 2021, marking the first major step change in pricing.
The strongest growth occurred during the broader print market surge of 2022, when the average hammer price climbed to £227,600, more than doubling the previous year.
After a temporary correction in 2023, when averages settled at £107,500, prices resumed their upward trajectory. Average values reached £157,500 in 2024, before peaking at £255,100 in 2025, the highest level recorded for the series.
As of Q1 2026, 18 works have traded in 2026 and average prices remained elevated at £204,900.
About David Hockney's Arrival Of Spring Print Series
Hockney created Arrival of Spring using an iPad, capturing the seasonal transformation of the Yorkshire countryside through vibrant digital drawings. The works represent a significant moment in the artist’s career, merging traditional landscape painting with digital technology.
The portfolio comprises over 60 variations across two edition formats:
• Edition of 10 (236 × 170 cm) – the rarest and largest format, historically commanding scarcity premiums when it appears at auction.
• Edition of 25 (104 x 106 cm) – the more frequently traded edition, providing the core liquidity within the secondary market.
This edition structure has created a balanced market where rarity and accessibility coexist, supporting both price growth and regular trading activity.
What the Market Means for Consignors and Buyers
For consignors, Arrival of Spring represents one of the strongest contemporary print markets currently trading. The series demonstrates a combination of strong liquidity, consistent price growth, and international collector demand.
However, timing and placement remain critical factors. Auction results show that the strongest outcomes occur when high-quality examples appear in carefully curated sales or cohesive collections, rather than in periods of concentrated supply.
Private sales can offer additional advantages in this environment. They allow sellers to place works with collectors actively seeking specific compositions without the pressure of auction timing or competing consignments.
For buyers, the series offers both cultural significance and strong long-term performance. The diversity of compositions allows collectors to select images based on personal preference while participating in a market that has demonstrated significant appreciation over time.
Explore instant valuation and placement opportunities with our specialists, or download your free copy of the ArtTactic x MyArtBroker Hockney Report today.
Data & Sources
This report draws on MyArtBroker’s proprietary print market database, which tracks auction results from more than 400 auction houses worldwide. All prices are reported in GBP unless otherwise stated.
Performance figures referenced in charts are calculated using hammer prices to ensure consistency across datasets, while average value figures may incorporate buyer’s premiums depending on reporting context.
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