Howard Hodgkin, one of the leading artists of the past century
Though he often said “painting is agony”, Howard Hodgkin became one of the most prominent British painters and printmakers of his generation. He is most closely associated with the Abstract movement, and his use of deep, rich colours to render images of memories and emotional situations is particularly striking.
Hodgkin died in 2017, yet his work has remained steadily popular in the years since his death. His art is particularly sought-after in the United Kingdom, and his prints (which account for 91% of his work sold at auction) regularly reach prices between £1,000 and £5,000.
Below is a list of Howard Hodgkin’s seven most expensive prints sold at auction. If you own a Howard Hodgkin print and would like to find out more about how to sell it, or how much it might be worth, contact Mark Littler today.
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Ivy
This is a unique work which was commissioned from Howard Hodgkin in 1990 by Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, who had just bought The Ivy restaurant in the West End. The new owners also commissioned work by other well-known contemporary artists, including Patrick Caulfield and Bridget Riley.
Ivy is a large oval intaglio print with carborundum, and it includes extensive hand-colouring by Hodgkin. The unique print was sold by Sotheby’s in March 2015; it had an estimate of £6,000 to £8,000, but it sold for a staggering £85,000, more than ten times its estimate.
Ivy sold by Sotheby’s in 2015
As Time Goes By (Red)
Howard Hodgkin was 77 when he created this series of enormous prints in both red and blue; together, the red and blue prints now account for seven out of eight of the artist’s most expensive prints sold at auction, and this particular one was sold by Christie’s in April 2019 for £55,000.
The prints were the largest Hodgkin had ever created, and their title referred to the song of the same name from the classic 1942 film, Casablanca. In 2011, Hodgkin stated: “I’ve always loved the film Casablanca and in particular, that song. In 2008 I thought I was dying. That song kept going through my mind.”
As Time Goes By sold by Christie’s in 2019
Frost
This etching with aquatint was sold by Sotheby’s in October 2017 for £26,000, more than three times its estimate. It’s a wonderful example of Hodgkin’s ability to conjure a scene and a feeling without actually including any figurative elements in the image.
Hodgkin often said: “I am a representational painter, but not a painter of appearances. I paint representational pictures of emotional situations”. It’s undeniable there is a powerful emotional intensity and energetic conviction to much of Hodgkin’s work. This seems fitting, given the artist’s insistence from a young age that he was going to be a painter, despite being given little encouragement.
Frost sold by Sotheby’s in 2017
Venice, Evening
This print comes from Hodgkin’s celebrated Venetian Views series created in 1995. The series comprises four prints, all of which depict the city at different times of day, and it was born from the artist’s unrealised plan to illustrate Thomas Mann’s famous 1912 novella, Death in Venice. The prints are amongst Hodgkin’s most popular in today’s market, and Venice, Evening was sold in February 2013 by Phillips for £26,000.
Venice, Evening sold by Phillip’s in 2013
Venice, Afternoon
On the subject of the Venetian Views prints, Hodgkin said: “I want them to be as spontaneous and open and emotional as they can be – partly because my paintings are so much the opposite.” He undoubtedly realised his aim; there is a visceral rawness to the prints which is instantly captivating, and each one evokes a different mood through Hodgkin’s sophisticated understanding of colour.
Indeed, Hodgkin is widely regarded as one of the foremost colourists of the past century, and with good reason; Venice, Afternoon resonates with fiery oranges and reds, elegantly evoking the late afternoon sun on water. The print was sold by Phillips in February 2013 for £24,000.
Venice, Afternoon sold by Phillip’s in 2013
Venice, Morning
This captivating print was sold by Phillips in February 2014 for £24,000. Though the Venetian Views were executed in print form, they retain many painterly qualities, resulting from Hodgkin’s close collaboration with printer, Jack Shirreff. Shirreff worked with the artist on numerous prints over the years, and the various techniques the two tried together tended to result in wonderful textures and colours which can sometimes be hard to achieve in printing.
Each of the prints in this series was created from the same five copper plates, but inked in different colours, then hand-coloured by Shirreff according to Hodgkin’s specific instructions. This resulted in subtle variations between each print, and it blended printmaking with Hodgkin’s most common medium – painting.
Venice, Morning sold by Phillip’s in 2014
Stormy Weather
This print dates from 2012, just five years before Hodgkin’s death aged 84, and it was sold by Sotheby’s in June 2018 for £22,000. 2012 was the year the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford held a major exhibition of Hodgkin’s Indian-inspired paintings and prints, and it was also the year the artist was commissioned to create a poster for the London Olympics.
Although by this point in his life, the artist had, in his own words, “suddenly grown old and frail”, he was still working hard, though he said he’d had to adapt to his changing body: “I’d say about ninety percent of the time in my studio is spent on a contemplation and analysis of the work, and only ten percent on actually painting it. So when I sit there staring at the wall, I’m in fact hard at work.” He finished his statement by wryly commenting: “explaining that to my assistants took quite some time.”
Stormy Weather sold by Sotheby’s in 2018
