David Hockney has offered a withering critique of contemporary men’s fashion, suggesting that there is a lack of true “style” among current generations.
In an exclusive interview with The Independent, the renowned British artist discussed his life and work ahead of a groundbreaking new exhibition at the Lightroom gallery in London.
Hockney has long-been associated with his own signature fashion sense that includes tweed suits (which he wears even while painting), bow ties and, more recently, Crocs.
The 85-year-old made headlines last year after attending a luncheon at Buckingham Palace with King Charles, where he was spotted wearing a bright yellow pair of the popular outdoor shoe brand, paired with a checked Savile Row suit and knitted checkerboard tie.
His ensemble apparently impressed the British monarch, who is known for his love of gardening. “Your yellow galoshes! Beautifully chosen,” he apparently exclaimed upon spotting Hockney’s Crocs.
Unfortunately, Hockney did not reserve the same praise for men’s fashion elsewhere.
Speaking about how he recently purchased nine new suits in his hometown of Normandy, France, for winter and summer, he remarked: “I hate what men wear today – it’s just sports clothes, where’s all the style?”
Hockney’s new exhibition, titled Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away), opens on 22 February at the Lightrooms gallery in east London.
Described as a reinterpretation of past works, Bigger & Closer will challenge Hollywood with its new vision for the cinematic experience, Hockey told The Independent.
“This is a new kind of theatre, a new kind of cinema and it will attract people, a lot of people,” he said.
“For a hundred years, cinema attracted people but that is over, as now you can watch films on a big screen in your home. This show of mine, you can’t. This, you have to go to. It should excite and make Hollywood sit up. It will be shown in LA and will get them thinking. I feel this is a new turn of the dial.”
