HOWARD HODGKIN: PAINTING INDIA

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MAJOR EXHIBITION FEATURING PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN AND NEW WORK BY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTISTS OF OUR TIME

OPENS THIS SUMMER

Mrs Acton in India, 1967 – 1971

© Howard Hodgkin. Courtesy the artist and Gagosian

Howard Hodgkin, Over to You, 2015-17

© Howard Hodgkin. Courtesy the artist and Gagosian

HOWARD HODGKIN: PAINTING INDIA 1 JULY – 8 OCTOBER 2017 OPEN DAILY / FREE ADMISSION hepworthwakefield.org/HowardHodgkin

‘(India) I couldn’t work without it’ Howard Hodgkin, 2014

The Hepworth Wakefield will present the first comprehensive exhibition to explore the enduring influence of India on Hodgkin’s work, a place he returned to almost annually, since his first trip to

the country in 1964. Approximately 35 works from the last 50 years will be exhibited, from Hodgkin’s earliest India-inspired paintings of the 1960s through to new work completed in India earlier this year, before his death in March. Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017) is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest painters and has been a central figure in contemporary art for over half a century.

Following a visit to The Hepworth Wakefield in 2016, Howard Hodgkin, said: “I fell in love with Indian art when I was at school, thanks to the enterprising art master, Wilfrid Blunt. I longed to visit India, but only managed to do so in my early thirties. It proved a revelation. It changed my way of thinking and, probably, the way I paint. I am excited by the idea of this exhibition and delighted it will take place in David Chipperfield's remarkable building, The Hepworth Wakefield, where I greatly enjoyed the show of paintings by Stanley Spencer.”

Simon Wallis OBE, Director of The Hepworth Wakefield said: “It has been a huge privilege for us to have worked so closely with Howard in preparation for this extensive exhibition. His death is a great loss to us all. We are proud to be realising an exhibition about the influence of India on his

work, a place that he was so passionate about, and from which he drew such inspiration throughout his life. It’ll be a perfect summer exhibition in our beautiful gallery spaces with all the colour and warmth of a country that Howard developed such a close relationship to.”

Showing work made over this expansive time period will offer an insight into Hodgkin’s relationship to India while also revealing the evolution of his pictorial language - from the figurative work of the 1960s through to the dynamic, gestural style of recent years. As a painter of memories and experiences, many of the works capture the artist’s sensory impressions of India, from fierce blazing sunsets to heavy oppressive rains, landscapes and cities he has visited, and portraits of the people he has befriended. Rarely seen photographs and documents from Hodgkin’s personal archive will feature in an

introductory section of the exhibition. This will include material relating to his 1992 British Council commission in New Delhi with the architect Charles Correa, as well as journals kept by the artist documenting his journeys in India, to be displayed publicly for the first time. These will be presented alongside a small number of works from the artist’s personal collection of Indian art, which first led him to visit the country and provoked his enduring love affair with the place and its people. The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue published by Lund Humphries,

with contributions from Shanay Jhavery, Associate Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Geeta Kapur, noted critic and art historian, among others. The Howard Hodgkin: Painting India exhibition takes place as part of the UK-India Year of Culture. In 2017, the UK and India will launch a major bilateral year of cultural exchange, to celebrate their shared long and rich history. The exhibition is supported by Gagosian. Howard Hodgkin: Painting India is on display from 1 July to 8 October 2017 at The Hepworth Wakefield. ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS: ABOUT HOWARD HODGKIN

Howard Hodgkin was born in 1932 in London, England. He attended the Camberwell School of Art, England, from 1949 to 1950, and Bath Academy of Art, England, from 1950 to 1954. After a period spent teaching until 1972, he also became a Trustee of the Tate Gallery from 1970-76 and of the National Gallery from 1978-85. In 1976 he was appointed a CBE, in 1984 he represented Britain at the XLI Venice Biennale and was awarded the Turner Prize in 1985. Hodgkin was knighted in 1992, awarded the Shakespeare Prize in Hamburg in 1997, made a Companion of Honour in 2003 and given the Swarovski Whitechapel Art Icon in 2014. His first retrospective was curated by Nicholas Serota at the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, in 1976.

His recent exhibitions include: “Made in Mumbai,” Curator’s Gallery at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai (2016); and “Absent Friends,” National Portrait Gallery, London (2017). Howard Hodgkin died in March 2017 having recently returned from a trip to India. ABOUT THE HEPWORTH WAKEFIELD The Hepworth Wakefield is an award-winning art gallery in the heart of Yorkshire, set within Wakefield’s historic waterfront, overlooking the River Calder. Designed by the acclaimed David

Chipperfield Architects, the gallery opened in May 2011 and has already welcomed around 1.8 million visitors. Named after Barbara Hepworth, one of the most important artists of the 20th century who was born and brought up in Wakefield, the gallery presents major exhibitions of the best international modern and contemporary art. It also is home to Wakefield’s art collection – an impressive compendium of modern British and contemporary art – and has dedicated galleries exploring Hepworth’s art and working process.

The Hepworth Wakefield, Gallery Walk, Wakefield WF1 5AW Open daily throughout the exhibition; 10am – 5pm. Free admission Twitter: @HepworthGallery Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheHepworthWakefield Instagram: hepworthwakefield

About UK/India 2017 In 2017, the UK and India will celebrate a major bilateral year of cultural exchange. India and the UK have a long and rich history. UK/India 2017 will enrich relationships at all levels of society, their institutions and government, building a shared future for generations to come. 2017 will see an incredible programme of cultural events and activities in India organised by the British Council, and a similar programme in the UK organised by the Government of India. We believe that by

experiencing the most innovative and exciting creative work from both countries and exploring our joint history, people will want to know more about each other’s countries and build deeper connections. MEDIA ENQUIRIES: For further details and interviews request please contact: Chloe Nahum, Rees & Company T: +44 (0)203 137 8776

E: chloe@reesandco.com END OF ALL