Early Evening In The Museum Of Modern Art

Together with the other three prints in the portfolio, Early Evening In The Museum Of Modern Art is above all else the product of an act of recollection, Hodgkin’s childhood memories. After being forced to flee the United Kingdom with his family due to World War II, Hodgkin made way to the United States, moving to New York until the end of the war. It was then, in New York, that a young Hodgkin got in touch for the first time with the wonders of art. Spending many afternoons and evenings sheltered in the walls of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Hodgkin found solace and comfort.

In this print, Hodgkin’s memory comes alive through sombre and dark hues – a striking, yet poignant departure from his distinctive colourful palette made of blues, oranges, yellows and greens. And still, the darkness of the image perfectly evokes the loneliness and bittersweet feelings the artist so vividly describes through the titles of the series.

Reflective and pensive, this print gives access to a more intimate and secluded aspect of Hodgkin’s practice, and indeed of Hodgkin himself, and reveals the ability of the artist in arousing complex emotional responses to his art.