DAVID HOCKNEY | Christopher Isherwood, Santa Monica

Private Collection
Acquired from the above by the present owner circa 1971

Paris, Palais du Louvre, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, David Hockney: Paintings and Drawings, October - December 1974, cat. no. 55, p. 50 (text)

This work is in very good condition overall. Under close inspection, there is evidence of wear and handling to the edges, most notably along the left edge at the bottom left corner where some adhesive residue is visible. Under further close inspection, there are a few, very faint and scattered areas of light surface soiling visible, most notably 7 5/8 inches from the bottom right corner at the right edge. Extremely close inspection reveals a brown spot accretion visible 8 1/2 inches from the bottom edge and 3/14 inches from the left edge. The sheet is hinged to the window mat at the top corners. Framed under Plexiglas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Having created an impressive body of work on stage, screen and in the recording studio, this year marks Michael York’s fiftieth year as a professional actor in which he has been awarded Britain’s OBE, France’s Arts et Lettres, and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Beginning with Britain’s National Youth Theatre and at Oxford University, he joined Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre Company and later made his film debut in The Taming of the Shrew. York's more than 60 other movie credits include Romeo and Juliet (1968), Cabaret (1972), The Three Musketeers (1973), Logan's Run (1976), and the Austin Powers film series (1997–2002). Television work, with several Emmy-nominations, includes The Forsyte Saga, Great Expectations, Space, The Far Country, The Heat of the Day, The Lot and Curb Your Enthusiasm as well as a frequent guest on The Simpsons.                

Among Michael’s several Broadway credits include “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me,” “Bent,”  "The Little Prince,” “The Crucible,” and the world premiere of Tennessee Williams’ “Outcry” as well as playing King Arthur in a US tour of “Camelot” and he most recently appeared in a concert performance of “My Fair Lady” at the Kennedy Center.  His extensive narration and voice-over work has been Grammy-nominated and his radio work includes broadcasts for LA Classic Theatre Works and for BBC Radio. York’s autobiography, “Accidentally on Purpose” (1992) was followed by “A Shakespearean Actor Prepares,” (2000)  “Dispatches from Armageddon,” (2001)  “Are My Blinkers Showing: Filmmaking in the New Russia,” (2005) and most recently “The Readiness is All” (2018).

 

Patricia McCallum began her career in the fashion department of Vogue magazine in New York and then moved to Glamour magazine as the Photographer/Travel Editor. She was assigned to photograph Michael York in 1967 and the two were married shortly thereafter in March 1968. Photographing and writing assignments continue the pattern of Pat’s life and she has exhibited her work in major museums in the United States and internationally, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Evansville Museum in Evansville, the Marble Palace of the Russian State Museum in St. Petersburg, the Nostic Palace in Prague, the Kunsthalle Museum in Mannheim, the Hong Kong Film Archive in Hong Kong, and the Wellcome Trust in London. Her photographs and exhibits have been reviewed by over 100 newspapers and 100 magazines and her work continues to be featured in notable private collections and publications throughout the world, including her own publications “A Photographic Book of Michel Tournier’s Vendredi Ou La Vie Sauvage” (1981), “Masked, Uncovered, Unmasked” (1997), “Covered-Uncovered” (2004), “Going Strong” (1991) and “Fame & Frame” (2008).

 

Pat and Michael York’s extensive travels and dedication to the arts is reflected in their passionate collecting. In addition to Old Master Drawings, the breadth of their collection includes highlights by David Hockney, Pablo Picasso, and an exceptional group of Russian theater and costume designs from the early twentieth century. Sotheby’s is honored to present works from the Private Collection of Pat and Michael York in a series of auctions in New York and London in spring 2020.