David Hockney|A Bigger Book (TASCHEN)

Hockney shaped 'A Bigger Book' himself, as a survey of his own career. He worked closely with TASCHEN through every stage of production and conceived the book as a purely visual record, opened by a short handwritten statement. "A book like this doesn't need much text," he said when he presented it at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2016. "You just need pictures." The title follows a line of Hockney titles that runs from 'A Bigger Splash' (1967) to 'A Bigger Grand Canyon' and 'Bigger Trees near Warter', all reproduced inside. The scale is literal: the book weighs about 35 kilograms and stands on an adjustable tripod bookstand designed by Marc Newson. Every copy is signed by Hockney on the title page. TASCHEN Gallery in Los Angeles showed the book with an exhibition of his work that closed in February 2017.

The four prints

The prints come from the first months of Hockney's 'iPad Drawings'. He bought one of the first iPads after its release in April 2010, and his flower drawings on iPhone and iPad were shown in Paris that year in 'Fleurs fraîches'. 'Untitled No. 329 (From A Bigger Book: Art Edition A)' shows pink peonies and ferns in a glass vase, drawn on 8 August 2010. 'Untitled No. 346 (From A Bigger Book: Art Edition B)' followed on 21 August with pink tulips. 'Untitled No. 468 (From A Bigger Book: Art Edition C)' sets a potted plant on a table in an interior, and 'Untitled No. 516 (From A Bigger Book: Art Edition D)', drawn on 9 November, shows lilies and other flowers in a vase. Each was printed in eight colours of inkjet on cotton archival paper under Hockney's supervision in his Los Angeles studio. Like his other iPad drawings, they were made to be printed, so the prints are the finished works rather than enlargements of a screen image. Each is signed, dated and numbered in pencil and carries the artist's blindstamp.

At auction

The highest result for the series was £226,800, for a complete set of all four art editions, each numbered 14/250, at Phillips London in September 2022. The highest for a single art edition was £58,050, for Art Edition B with 'Untitled No. 346 (From A Bigger Book: Art Edition B)', at Phillips London in September 2025. In the same sale Art Edition D made £49,020 and Art Edition A £30,960. In January 2017, months after publication, 'Untitled No. 329 (From A Bigger Book: Art Edition A)' had sold for £10,625 at Phillips London. All these figures include fees.