An intimate, long-cherished tribute to domestic life and companionship by David Hockney is set to make auction history this autumn, capturing the quiet affection behind one of contemporary art's greatest visionaries.
Painted in 1995, Dog Painting 17 captures the artist’s first dachshund, Stanley, curled up on a soft cushion and fast asleep. The oil on canvas, measuring a compact 13 by 21 ¾ inches, is heading to Christie’s London with an estimate between £1.5 million and £2.5 million (approximately $2 million to $3.3 million USD). The upcoming sale marks the very first time an original canvas from Hockney’s celebrated mid-1990s Dog Series has ever come to auction, presenting collectors with an unprecedented opportunity.
Stanley, named after comedian Stan Laurel, was welcomed into Hockney’s life as a puppy in 1987 and quickly became his inseparable shadow alongside his second dachshund, Boodgie. Across 1994 and 1995, Hockney executed over 40 canvases documenting their everyday slumbers and playful silhouettes around his Los Angeles studio, keeping easel setups ready in every room so he could immediately capture their resting poses without waking them.
FAR BEYOND A MERE CANINE PORTRAIT, THE PIECE REVEALS A UNIVERSAL TENDERNESS ROOTED IN THE QUIET INTIMACY OF ART AND LIFE.
What elevates the piece beyond sentimental portraiture is its extreme institutional rarity. Nearly all works from the Dog Series were permanently absorbed into the David Hockney Foundation, with only six pieces known to remain in private hands. As Tessa Lord, head of Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art department in London, noted, the canvas holds both a disarming innocence and a masterclass in observational brushwork, balancing technical minimalism with deep warmth.
The sale arrives at an exceptionally poignant moment for the art market, coming just months after Hockney’s passing at the age of 88. Throughout his storied career, spanning sun-drenched Californian swimming pools, vibrant Yorkshire landscapes, and pioneering digital iPad sketches, these domestic canine studies remained among his most deeply personal and enduring creative expressions.
WITH ONLY SIX CANVASES FROM THE ACCLAIMED DOG SERIES EVER HELD IN PRIVATE HANDS, ITS APPEARANCE MARKS AN HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR COLLECTORS.
Dog Painting 17 will be exhibited to the public for free at Christie’s King Street galleries in London starting October 8, before going under the hammer on October 14 as one of the marquee highlights of Frieze Week. As London becomes the global epicenter of contemporary art, Hockney’s sleeping muse stands as a quiet yet powerful testament to an artist whose immense genius was often matched by his gentle humanity.