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David Hockney, Brothers Grimm, and others

Six Fairy Tales

1970

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Six Fairy Tales

1970

Physical Qualities Bound volume with etchings with aquatint and/or drypoint and letterpress, Book: 463 x 321 x 28 mm. (18 1/4 x 12 5/8 x 1 1/8 in.) Sheet (page): 455 x 310 mm. (17 15/16 x 12 3/16 in.)
Credit Line The Ryda Hecht Levi Collection of Illustrated Books, Bequest of Ryda H. Levi, Baltimore
Object Number 2009.27.1
The etchings David Hockney created to accompany "Six Fairy Tales" are unexpected in their approach to fairy-tale book illustration. (Indeed they stand in stark contrast to widely available books of fairy tales with idealized and brightly colored images, not to mention popular Disney film adaptations of these tales, such as "Snow White.") Hockney has long been drawn to the 200-some fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, admiring the short, straightforward manner in which they are told as well as their inspirational sense of fantasy. When illustrating six of these fairy tales for this Petersburg Press publication, he chose scenes that provoked his imagination and/or presented artistic challenges—not necessarily the most dramatic scenes nor those that would be most useful for the advancement of the plot. This approach emphasizes some of the darker themes present in the stories and prompts the reader to think about the tales in a different light. Here Hockney’s images from the story “The Little Sea Hare,” depict a boy who has hidden first in a raven’s egg and then in the belly of a fish.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest, 2009; Ryda H. Levi, Lutherville, MD
Rena Hoisington, BMA, "Off the Shelf: Modern and Contemporary Artists' Books," May Gallery, March 12 - June 25, 2017.

Inscribed: on colophon across bottom in graphite: "David Hockney Ed B 20/100"

Markings: WM: DH PP

Artist

David Hockney

English, 1937-2026

Meet David Hockney

Author

Brothers Grimm

Jakob and Wilhelm, German, 1785-1863 and 1786-1859

Meet Brothers Grimm

Translator

Heiner Bastian

German, born 1942

Meet Heiner Bastian

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