Original exhibition poster produced on the occasion of David Hockney’s 1981 exhibit for the series The Artist’s Eye at the National Gallery. As Hockney’s contribution, he mimicked Pictures on a Screen, his 1977 painting of famed curator Henry Geldzahler. Pictures on a Screen shows Geldzahler looking at printouts of various artworks by Vermeer, Van Gogh, Degas, and Pierro della Francesca, pinned to a folding screen. According to the David Hockney Foundation, “The scenario invites viewers to consider what differences might exist between versions, and to embrace the ease of distribution that mechanical reproduction enables.” Elegantly lit from behind, with one foot forward in contrapposto and a hand tucked behind his dapper grey blazer, Hockney looks straight out of a painting.

Text reads: “The artist’s eye, Admission free, David Hockney, Looking at Pictures on a Screen at the National Gallery, 1 July-31 August 1981.”