David HockneyBritish, 1937–2026Man peeping.
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
Victoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- 9 days ago
- In this state since
- Sep 25, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the work
David Hockney has always regarded drawing as an autonomous medium, and has made drawings throughout his career. Man Peeping belongs to an early group made shortly after he graduated from the Royal College of Art. The gestural way in which the coloured pencil marks are applied draws attention to the physical nature of those lines, and indeed to the act of drawing itself.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- CIRC.321-1963
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 9 days ago
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Meanwhile, in the life of David Hockney
The whole life1959–1962
“New Contemporaries” alongside Peter Blake
While still a student at the Royal College of Art, Hockney appears in the exhibition “New Contemporaries” alongside Peter Blake, which announced the arrival of British Pop art. He is associated with the movement, though his early works show expressionist elements similar to some of Francis Bacon’s.
1959–1962
At the Royal College: Kitaj, Bowling, Stokoe
At the Royal College of Art in London Hockney meets R. B. Kitaj, Frank Bowling and Neil Stokoe.
1960–1961
At 23 he comes out as gay
While still studying at the Royal College of Art, Hockney comes out as gay — seven years before the Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalised homosexual acts between men over 21 in England and Wales.
1962
A diploma protest: “Life Painting for a Diploma”
When the college said it would not let him graduate without a life drawing of a live model, Hockney painted “Life Painting for a Diploma” in protest: he had refused to write an essay required for the final examination and insisted on being assessed solely on his artworks. Recognising his talent and growing reputation, the college changed its regulations and awarded him a diploma.
1963
First solo exhibition at Kasmin Limited
At twenty-six Hockney has his first one-man show at Kasmin Limited.
1963–1964
Moving to Los Angeles
Hockney moves from Britain to Los Angeles, in 1964 by some accounts, in 1963 by others; the move is attributed to a more liberal political climate. There he is inspired to paint a series of swimming pools in vibrant acrylic, then a comparatively new medium.
