David Hockney’s 90-meter-long landmark work, depicting the changing seasons in his French garden, is on display in the birthplace of the internationally renowned British artist. A Year in Normandy was created by combining some of the 220 paintings. Hockney created them on his iPad during the lockdown, then printed them out on paper and showed them as a continuous panorama.
This largest work by the 84-year-old artist has previously been shown at the Musée d’Orangerie in Paris. Hockney said he was inspired by the Bayeux Tapestries, a 70m long embroidery depicting the events of the Norman conquest of England in 1066. In the interiors of the former Salts Mills textile factory in Bradford, visitors also watch other works and Hockney’s video clip titled “Remember You Can’t Stare at the Sun or Death for Very Long”.
Salts Mills, built-in 1853, was once the largest factory in the world – 3,000 workers on 1,200 looms produced 30,000 yards of fabric every day. Now it is an architectural monument, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• David Hockney, Year in Normandie, Salts Mills, West Yorkshire, until 18 September 2022
