David Hockney’s Endless Scroll
The late artist’s digital paintings at Serpentine, Tate gets a new director, beyond the myth of Brazilian modernist Chico da Silva, and more.
“The iPad is a fascistic form of mark-making,” the delectably fiery Olivia McEwan writes. She’s talking about the late works of David Hockney, who passed away last month at 88, specifically a shimmering, digitally stitched scroll encircling the dim walls of the Serpentine Gallery. She prefers his physical paintings, let’s put it that away. Agree or disagree? Let us know.
But it raises the question of how we approach a late artist’s work. Two other pieces in today’s issue offer alternatives. We honor them, as in our weekly In Memoriam column, put together by yours truly. We plunge into history to salvage a different story, as Riverlines, an exhibition at David Nolan Gallery in New York, does in telling an intergenerational story of Brazilian modernist Chico da Silva and Amazonian art. Enjoy today’s issue — no judgment on our end if it happens to be on your “fascistic” iPad.
—Lisa Yin Zhang, associate editor
You Can Love David Hockney and Still Hate His iPad Paintings
The Bayeux Tapestry, an 11th-century, 230-foot (~70-meter) linen that illustrates the story of the Norman conquest, has just returned to England after nearly a millennium for a forthcoming exhibition at the British Museum. Was David Hockney taking the piss out of this event by presenting an even longer 295-foot (~90-meter) composite iPad “painting,” titled “A Year in Normandie” (2020–21), at Serpentine Galleries in March?
Hockney, who died last month at age 88, argued against the Bayeux Tapestry’s loan from the French government due to the risk to the object, a concern expressed by numerous historians and scholars. Yet his Serpentine show, entitled A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts About Painting, cites Hockney’s “endless invention” through more than 100 printed iPad paintings digitally “stitched” together. Encircling the gallery interior, this work is meant to “encourage movement and close looking,” as the opening wall text states. | Olivia McEwan
Read MoreNews
- New York Chinatown residents and activists protested outside a town hall event at the Museum of Chinese in America, condemning the leadership's acceptance of a $35 million grant from the city that they believe is tied to the construction of a borough jail.
- Tate names Jessica Morgan, who led the Dia Art Foundation in New York for over a decade, as its next director.
- Two painters are suing The Hole Gallery, alleging that it owes them a combined sum of about $50,000 in outstanding sales proceeds.
- Collectors Anne and Arthur Goldstein gift over 70 works of modern and contemporary art to the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University.
From Our Critics
Beyond the Myth of Chico da Silva
Presenting da Silva with Amazonian artists of different generations undermines the Western notion of the artist as an isolated genius. | John Yau
Read MoreCommunity
Remembering Christine Borland, John Will, and Astrid Furnival
This week, we honor an artist who explored human fragility through science, a pioneering British textile artist, and a champion of digital art.
Read MoreThe Bennett Prize – 2026/2027 Award Cycle
For women figurative realist painters. The grand prize winner receives $75,000 and a solo exhibition. The first runner-up receives $10,000. A five-person jury will select 10 finalists to be featured in a group exhibition that will travel the US. The application fee is $50. Read more on Hyperallergic.
Deadline: September 19, 2026 | thebennettprize.org
Member Comment
—Jo Ford on “A Homerist Reacts to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey”
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Most of the objectors to Denzel Washington’s accent are men who think too much about the Roman Empire. Here’s how the accent has changed throughout cinema. | Sarah Bond
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