Animations:

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Celebrating American art and artists

Join us as we explore 250 years of American creativity from across the nation.
Learn more
Exhibitions & Events
Featured exhibition:

Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris
Now on view
Art & Artists
Play Artle

Test your knowledge with a new puzzle every day.
Play now

Open today 10:00–5:00

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Celebrating American art and artists

Join us as we explore 250 years of American creativity from across the nation.
Learn more
Exhibitions & Events
Featured exhibition:

Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris
Now on view
Art & Artists
Play Artle

Test your knowledge with a new puzzle every day.
Play now

The Blue Guitar

1977

David Hockney

Associated Names

David Hockney

Artist, British, born 1937

Petersburg Press

Publisher

This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.

Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

Medium

portfolio with 20 etchings and double-sided title page
Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Robert A. Hauslohner, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Dimensions

overall: 55 × 48 × 3.3 cm (21 5/8 × 18 7/8 × 1 5/16 in.)
Accession Number

1991.60.1-20

The Blue Guitar

David Hockney

1976

This print shows an elderly person playing guitar. The person is seated and wearing loose-fitting clothing. They appear to have a gaunt face and a bald head. The individual is barefoot and has one leg crossed over the other, with their head bent down and one shoulder raised up. Their skin is pale blue, and the background and the guitar are in darker shades of blue. Surrounding this central print is a background with decorative elements in orange and green. Text on the top and bottom reads, "PABLO PICASSO Spanish 1881" and "THE OLD GUITARIST 1903." — The Old Guitarist

David Hockney

1976

A Tune

David Hockney

1976

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1991

Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1991, 460-461, color repro.

Bibliography

1991

Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1991: p.460.

1996

Tōkyō-to Gendai Bijutsukan. David Hockney: Prints 1954-1995. Tokyo, Japan: Museum of Contemporary Art and Tankosha Publishing Co., 1996, no.

You may be interested in