My Parents

A large-scale double portrait of Hockney's mother Laura and father Kenneth, completed just a year before Kenneth's death. Hockney worked through two failed attempts. Laura gazes directly at the viewer; Kenneth is absorbed in reading a book.

The contrast between the two poses creates quiet psychological tension. Hockney said: "It's a portrait of three people, in a way" — examining his parents and himself simultaneously.

Debuted at the Hayward Gallery in 1977 with his parents in attendance. Purchased by the Tate in 1981.