In this short film gallery manager Kate discusses David Hockney’s imaginative take on the Grimms’ Fairy Tales in his Brothers Grimm etching suite. Hockney was born in Bradford in 1937. A brilliant draughtsman, he became the best-known British artist of his generation and had gained international success by his mid-20s.
Today, he is known widely as one of Britain’s most revered painters and printmakers, famous for his thick-rimmed spectacles and lilting Yorkshire accent. Amongst his many notable print works, his etchings of the Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm are perhaps his most celebrated.
Produced in 1969, the suite includes prints from six of the Grimm tales: The Little Sea Hare, Rapunzel, The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear, Fundevogel, Old Rinkrank, and Rumpelstilzchen.
Possessing their maker’s unmistakable wit and gentle sense of humour, these etchings established Hockney as a young master of the medium and remain iconic to this day. Browse our selection of prints from this suite at our website by clicking through below.