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- A year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting – David Hockney at Serpentine, London - 11 March, 2026
The Serpentine gallery in London presents an A year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting – exhibition of new and recent works by David Hockney, including the monumental frieze A Year in Normandie.
Why exhibit at the Serpentine now?
Coming out as gay at the tender age of 23, in 1960 (when homosexual acts were still illegal in the UK), while studying at the Royal College of Art, David Hockney has played an influential role in pop art and the art world more widely. Throughout his great body of works, Hockney has experimented with various art forms including painting, drawing, printmaking, watercolours, photography, and most recently on his iPad.
We understand that Hockney has always been keen to exhibit at the Serpentine, but when the time is right. After his previous success exhibiting his A Year in Normandie (2020 – 2021) iPad work at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris and Salts Hill in Saltaire, the Serpentine Gallery provides a unique space to offer the public an opportunity to view and interact with this work. The planning of this exhibition also gave rise to the creation of five new still life paintings and five new portraits depicting Hockney’s close circle, family and carers.
What to expect from this exhibition at the Serpentine
Visitors will find three distinct components to this exhibition: A Year in Normandie running the full inner perimeter of the exhibition space, two internal rooms dedicated to the new paintings, and a large scale, printed mural from the large frieze.
‘Some Other Thoughts about Painting’ i.e. the 10 new paintings (finished in late 2025 / early 2026) are united by their frontal composition and by the recurring motif of a gingham tablecloth that provides the setting for each composition, which gives a nod to the time Hockney spent in Normandie. In these new works the artist combines abstract and figurative modes of representation. According to Hockney all figurative painting is inherently abstract, so long as it exists upon a flat surface. Now working from a wheelchair, Hockney’s continuous desire to share a deep pleasure from art is demonstrated through the logistics and technical skill needed to create new works.
Running from winter to winter, A Year in Normandie landscape was captured in moments on the artist’s iPad. The use of an iPad meant that Hockney was able to record a scene in the moment rather than take time to set up a canvas and miss an opportunity, highlighted by the snowy winter scene at the very end of this installation. The depiction of a tree house shows the viewer where the Spring season starts. And while inspired by Chinese scroll paintings and the Bayeux Tapestry, unlike these ancient artworks, viewers will note a lack of humans and animals in this Hockney work. Instead human life is hinted by depictions of houses and a garden chair. We recommend a couple of tours to view the 80m artwork (cut down slightly from its original length of 90m to fit within the space) to take in the scale of it and then to reflect on and appreciate the artwork.
Outside, in the garden of the Serpentine is mounted a mural of the treehouse scene from the above work. The placement in the garden echoes Hockney’s own garden in Normandie.
Recommending that people slow down and notice the beauty of the world around them, Hockney believes that everyday cycles, like a sunrise, are worth celebrating. While the world came to a halt in the Spring of 2020, Hockney continued his close observations of the world around him. Bettina Korek, CEO, Serpentine said: “David Hockney’s work invites us to slow down, to look closely, and to reconnect with the world around us. Presenting A Year in Normandie alongside new paintings at Serpentine North reflects our belief in making new connections between artists and audiences. We are delighted to welcome visitors to encounter these works freely, in the park.”
Besides this exhibition, the Serpentine features a year-round, free programme of exhibitions and events across both North and South sites, within Hyde Park and beyond the gallery walls.
Details
The exhibition runs 12 March – 23 August 2026.
The Serpentine North gallery is located in Hyde Park on West Carriage Drive, London, W2 2AR.
Admission is free.
