Lightning
Lightning
Signed Print
David Hockney
£13,500-£20,000
$27,000-$40,000 Value Indicator
$24,000-$35,000 Value Indicator
¥120,000-¥180,000 Value Indicator
€16,000-€24,000 Value Indicator
$130,000-$190,000 Value Indicator
¥2,660,000-¥3,930,000 Value Indicator
$17,000-$25,000 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Planographic print
Edition size: 98
Year: 1973
Size: H 79cm x W 65cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2023 | Sotheby's New York | United States | |||
| March 2019 | Sotheby's Online | United Kingdom | |||
| January 2017 | Skinner, Marlborough | United States | |||
| November 2012 | Sotheby's New York | United States | |||
| October 2012 | Christie's New York | United States | |||
| September 2012 | Sotheby's Online | United Kingdom | |||
| April 2012 | Christie's New York | United States |
Meaning & Analysis
A striking depiction of a storm, Lightning is a 1973 lithograph and screen print by David Hockney which was originally published in an edition of 98 as part of the artist’s The Weather series.
This print sees a fork of lightning strikes above a darkened valley, emerging like a bright white flash out of thick clouds. It brings with it a shower of rain that soaks the lines of trees below. The raincloud is contrasted with lighter fluffy white clouds just beneath it which suggest finer weather is on the way, reflecting the changeability of high pressure and the potential for a thunderstorm to clear the way for sun.
Lightning is part of the artist’s The Weather series, in which he studied various atmospheric effects and created scenes inspired in part by Japanese prints, in part by his own take on the Southern Californian landscape. Entirely monochrome, the work is also closely related to the artist’s landscapes in his 1969 series Illustrations For Six Fairy Tales From The Brothers Grimm. The perspective of the composition also recalls many of his later views of Yorkshire in which we are looking down on a road weaving between hills in a suggestion of distance, filled with the nostalgia of the road trip. Dating to 1973 The Weather series was produced in collaboration with master printers Gemini G.E.L. of LA whom Hockney had worked with before on portfolios such as A Hollywood Collection and with whom he would make the famous Friends series.
