'Self-Portrait with Charlie' (David Hockney; Charles Dare Scheips)
- Artist: David Hockney
- Date: 2005
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 72 in. x 36 in. (1829 mm x 914 mm)
- Portrays: David Hockney, Charles Dare Scheips
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
Before you is “Self‑Portrait with Charlie” by David Hockney, painted in oil on canvas in 2005. The canvas is large – about 1.8 m long and almost a metre tall – so you can see the figures from close range. On the left sits the artist himself, his gaze directed out toward you; on the right stands his friend, New‑York‑based curator Charles Dare Scheips, looking back at him. Scheips was Hockney’s friend and former studio manager. Hockney worked directly onto the canvas in just a few sittings, no drawings or photos. The light in his Hollywood Hills studio pours across the faces and softens the edges. A simple background lets the two figures stand out. The painting sets up a triangular exchange of gazes: you, Hockney, Scheips. It is part of a series of large‑scale portraits he made from life. In the 2005 work the artist wanted to remove distance so that we can all come closer together…we are one.
See it in person
'Self-Portrait with Charlie' (David Hockney; Charles Dare Scheips) is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
