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Lot Essay
The present impression of Hockney's Fish and Chip Shop was gifted by the artist to the proprietors of his local chippy The Sea Catch, Eccleshill, while Hockney was studying at the Bradford School of Art. This evocative work depicts the owners Hayden and Janet Smith behind the counter of their fish and chip shop, with Hockney leaning against the counter in conversation. Whilst studying at art school, Hockney would visit late in the evening for any fish and chips that were available and as a token of appreciation the artist presented the couple with the Fish and Chip Shop in 1954. The print was displayed in the shop above the fryers for many years and then passed down through the family of the original owners.
As an art student in Bradford, Hockney created several works inspired by his home town. Derek Stafford, his teacher at Bradford School of Art, described his attitude at the time as one in which he looked at his environment and said 'This big city I live in may be grey and black, a dirty city, but there is a magic in it if I look at it closely' (Christopher Simon Sykes, Hockney: The Biography, Century, London, 2011, p. 50).
As an art student in Bradford, Hockney created several works inspired by his home town. Derek Stafford, his teacher at Bradford School of Art, described his attitude at the time as one in which he looked at his environment and said 'This big city I live in may be grey and black, a dirty city, but there is a magic in it if I look at it closely' (Christopher Simon Sykes, Hockney: The Biography, Century, London, 2011, p. 50).