Paul Bartel, 10 April 1994

The subject of this David Hockney portrait is Paul Bartel (1938-2000), the Hollywood director known for making humorous and often controversial cult films, including Eating Raoul (1982) and Death Race 2000 (1975). Bartel was a very private individual, but it is known that he collected many works by Hockney, including several dedicated 'for Paul' by the artist. At the time of completion, Hockney was busily creating art in Los Angeles; by contrast, Bartel had finished his directorial career just the year before.