News

Oct 26, 2023

David Hockney Portrait of Harry Styles to Go on Display in London at the National Portrait Gallery

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. "It was a complete privilege to be painted by him," Styles said. Last May,

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

"It was a complete privilege to be painted by him," Styles said.

Last May, pop superstar Harry Styles traveled to artist David Hockney's studio in Normandy, France, to sit for a portrait. Wearing an orange-and-yellow striped sweater, a pearl necklace, and jeans, Styles relaxed in a chair and let the artist get to work.

Hockney tells Vogue, "I wasn't really aware of his celebrity then. He was just another person who came to the studio." Styles, a huge fan of the artist, said, "David Hockney has been reinventing the way we look at the world for decades. It was a complete privilege to be painted by him."

The portrait came about after Hockney painted Clive Davis, the famed music producer. "Clive told me about Harry’s new album, and JP [Hockney’s studio assistant] sent Harry a note and asked him if he’d like to come to my studio and sit for his portrait," Hockney says. "He replied straight away and said, yes, he'd love to." Styles still can't believe he was asked to sit for a portrait, saying, "I’m in awe of the man with enough one-liners for a lifetime."

The portrait of Styles will be part of the National Portrait Gallery's upcoming exhibit "David Hockney: Drawing from Life." The exhibit was first on view in February 2020, but closed when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the gallery. This version will includes a selection of over thirty new portraits—including the one of Styles—made in his Normandy studio between 2021 and 2022.

Kate Middleton, patron of the National Portrait Gallery, reopened the famed London gallery in June after a three-year refurbishment. Maybe the Princess of Wales be there in November at the opening of the Hockney exhibit. She's met Harry Styles once before—at the Royal Variety Performance in 2014.

The portrait will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery's "David Hockney: Drawing from Life," on view from November 2, 2023 through January 21, 2024. Tickets are on sale now.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the news writer for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.

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