The frontispiece for Hockney’s Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio and book features Catherina Dorothea Viehmann, the elderly German woman who recounted fairy tales to the Grimm brothers when they were in their late twenties. Per Hockney: “This etching is done from an engraving of her, and I just thought it might be interesting for people to know a bit about her, although it's not mentioned in the book. I suppose people wonder who on earth she is.”

“The stories weren’t written by the Brothers Grimm…they came across this woman called Catherina Dorothea Viehmann, who told 20 stories to them in this simple language, and they were so moved by them that they wrote them down word for word as she spoke”. Hockney drew the German woman in the style of Dürer, formally posed yet naturalistic against an impeccably crosshatched swath of grey. The composition mirrors almost exactly Dürer’s ‘Portrait of the Artist's Mother’ (1514), a fitting reference for Hockney who has drawn countless portraits of his own mother.

Catherine Dorothea Viehmann (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 11 x 8.9 in / 28 x 22.5 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

One of David Hockney’s Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm illustrations, taken from the story of ‘The Little Sea Hare’. This tower was likely inspired by Hockney’s travels through Germany along the Rhine River, an area which is dotted with old castles. The sides of the turret’s tip are windows, converging to a flag-topped spire.

In "The Little Sea Hare", a proud princess with a magical tower and twelve windows demands that suitors must hide from her to win her hand, with death as the penalty if discovered. After ninety-seven suitors are executed, three brothers try their luck. The first two fail, but the youngest requests three attempts. While hunting, he spares a raven, a fish, and a fox. The raven hides him in an egg, the fish swallows him, and the fox turns him into a "sea-hare" and sells him to the princess. While she checks the windows, he hides in her hair. Unable to see him, she throws him away in frustration. The fox restores him, he reveals himself to the princess, and they marry, living happily ever after.

The Princess in her tower (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 17.6 x 12.7 in / 44.7 x 32.3 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

David Hockney drew this image for his Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm illustrations. This portrait is from "The little sea hare", in which a raven has cut its egg in two and tucked the boy inside to conceal himself. The raven sitting on the egg atop its nest while the King’s daughter searches, ultimately finding him. She cries out "I won’t kill you this time, but if you can’t do any better than that, you’re finished!".

The model for the figure was Mo McDermott, Hockney’s close friend and frequent model at the time. This is one of the only etchings from the Grimm’s prints for which the artist drew previous studies rather than working directly onto the plate, due to the composition’s technical complexity.

In "The little sea hare", a proud princess with a magical tower and twelve windows demands that suitors must hide from her to win her hand, with death as the penalty if discovered. After ninety-seven suitors are executed, three brothers try their luck. The first two fail, but the youngest requests three attempts. While hunting, he spares a raven, a fish, and a fox. The raven hides him in an egg, the fish swallows him, and the fox turns him into a "sea-hare" and sells him to the princess. While she checks the windows, he hides in her hair. Unable to see him, she throws him away in frustration. The fox restores him, he reveals himself to the princess, and they marry, living happily ever after.

The boy hidden in an egg (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching, aquatint and drypoint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 7.8 x 6.7 in / 19.8 x 17 cm
Paper 12 x 12 in / 30.48 x 30.48 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

David Hockney drew this image for his Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm illustrations. In the belly of a fish hides a boy, curled up with his hand to his face. The fish swims against an inky expanse of water, with a handful of rocks and strands of seaweed scattered on the lake floor. The model for the figure was Mo McDermott, Hockney’s close friend and frequent model at the time. This is one of the only etchings from this series for which the artist drew previous studies rather than working directly onto the plate, due to the composition’s technical complexity.

This etching is from the tale of "The little sea hare", in which a proud princess with a magical tower and twelve windows demands that suitors must hide from her to win her hand, with death as the penalty if discovered. After ninety-seven suitors are executed, three brothers try their luck. The first two fail, but the youngest requests three attempts. While hunting, he spares a raven, a fish, and a fox. The raven hides him in an egg, the fish swallows him, and the fox turns him into a "sea-hare" and sells him to the princess. While she checks the windows, he hides in her hair. Unable to see him, she throws him away in frustration. The fox restores him, he reveals himself to the princess, and they marry, living happily ever after.

Hockney stated: “I liked this story because it's a very strange sexual story, it seems to me, about a princess who wants a husband, but doesn't want a husband. I mean, the story is that the husband must be able to hide from her, yet she lives in a tower with twelve windows where she can see everything. So it's as though she wants something, yet she doesn't want something, and sometimes I interpreted the story, you see, as really her desire for a child.”

The boy hidden in a fish (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 9.1 x 10.6 in / 23.1 x 26.8 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

David Hockney drew this portrait for his Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm illustrations. The princess, who has stated that she will marry no one but he who can hide from her successfully, searches beyond her tower for a boy who has concealed himself. The topmost platform of the tower is rendered in rich dark grey with layers of crosshatching and aquatint, a technique that Hockney used for the first time in this series. The windows around the female figure is rendered simply with a few lines to suggest their glassy surface.

Hockney stated: "...he hides himself in her hair. So when she looks through her windows, because none of her windows is a mirror she cannot see him. And I interpreted this. Instead of putting him in her hair, I put him as though he's inside her (‘The Princess searching’), which is like a child. I mean, maybe I'm adding more to the story than was ever intended, but these are strangely and oddly odd stories.”

This etching is from the tale of "The little sea hare," in which a proud princess with a magical tower and twelve windows demands that suitors must hide from her to win her hand, with death as the penalty if discovered. After ninety-seven suitors are executed, three brothers try their luck. The first two fail, but the youngest requests three attempts. While hunting, he spares a raven, a fish, and a fox. The raven hides him in an egg, the fish swallows him, and the fox turns him into a "sea-hare" and sells him to the princess. While she checks the windows, he hides in her hair. Unable to see him, she throws him away in frustration. The fox restores him, he reveals himself to the princess, and they marry, living happily ever after.

The Princess searching (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 10.5 x 6.7 in / 26.7 x 17 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

One of David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm illustrations, taken from the story of ‘Fundevogel’. Hockney said that the landscape was “done from an old photograph I found of the vineyards on the Moselle River”. There is the influence of Giorgio Morandi’s subtley-shaded landscape etchings in the shape of the house and tree, as well as the cross-hatching and line work. Hockney’s landscape conveys the bucolic setting of a fairy tale and the potential danger hidden within the woods -- the viewer is left to wonder who lives on the hilltop in that diminutive cabin.

Hockney chose the story ‘Fundevogel’, or ‘Foundling bird” for its detail, and the narrative of transformation. In ‘Fundevogel’, a forester finds a baby, Fundevogel, in a bird's nest and raises him with his daughter Lenchen. The family grows up happy and loving each other. When Lenchen sees the cook carrying buckets of water to the house and learns that the cook plans to boil Fundevogel the next day. She warns him, and they flee. The cook sends servants to find them, but Fundevogel transforms into a rosebush and later into a church with Lenchen as a chandelier, each time evading capture. Eventually, Fundevogel turns into a pond with Lenchen as a duck, and the cook drowns while trying to drink from it. The children return home safely.

A wooded landscape (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 15.4 x 10.6 in / 39 x 27 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400

One of David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm illustrations, taken from the story of ‘Fundevogel’. Shown in profile, an old woman with curled horns grimaces against a neatly crosshatched background. Pictured is the devilish cook from ‘Fundevogel’. Hockney has captured the villainess with perfection: a spoon, wielded menacingly, her downturned mouth set in an expression of anger, the ram-like horns which emerge almost elegantly from her pulled back hair. Painterly daubs of aquatint define the sleeves of her shapeless dress.

Hockney said: “The head of the old cook, of course, is done from the Leonardo Da Vinci in the Queen’s collection” He appropriated the image from ‘Five grotesque heads, and three heads of men in profile’, c.1510-20, in the Royal Collection Trust, capturing perfectly the woman’s turned down mouth and stern, lined face.

Hockney chose the story ‘Fundevogel’, or ‘Foundling bird” for its detail, and the narrative of transformation. In ‘Fundevogel’, a forester finds a baby, Fundevogel, in a bird's nest and raises him with his daughter Lenchen. The family grows up happy and loving each other. When Lenchen sees the cook carrying buckets of water to the house and learns that the cook plans to boil Fundevogel the next day. She warns him, and they flee. The cook sends servants to find them, but Fundevogel transforms into a rosebush and later into a church with Lenchen as a chandelier, each time evading capture. Eventually, Fundevogel turns into a pond with Lenchen as a duck, and the cook drowns while trying to drink from it. The children return home safely.

The cook (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 7.3 x 7.8 in / 18.5 x 19.8 cm
Paper 12 x 12 in / 30.48 x 30.48 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘Fundevogel’. One of just a few in the series that depicts a single form with such complexity, drawn directly on the plate by Hockney. This is certainly an ode to Giorgio Morandi’s etchings, such as Still Life with Eleven Objects in a Sphere 1942. Hockney and numerous other British artists were inspired by Morandi and his subtle groupings of vessels and everyday objects. This still life features some of the deepest tones Hockney had achieved at the time of the Grimms etchings: he combined crosshatching and aquatint in multiple passes to create the inky darkness of the pot’s shadow. Lively bubbles emerge on the surface of the water, the lightest areas of the image.

Hockney chose the story ‘Fundevogel’, or ‘Foundling bird” for its detail, and the narrative of transformation. In ‘Fundevogel’, a forester finds a baby, Fundevogel, in a bird's nest and raises him with his daughter Lenchen. The family grows up happy and loving each other. When Lenchen sees the cook carrying buckets of water to the house and learns that the cook plans to boil Fundevogel the next day. She warns him, and they flee. The cook sends servants to find them, but Fundevogel transforms into a rosebush and later into a church with Lenchen as a chandelier, each time evading capture. Eventually, Fundevogel turns into a pond with Lenchen as a duck, and the cook drowns while trying to drink from it. The children return home safely.

The pot boiling (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 6.9 x 7.9 in / 17.5 x 20 cm
Paper 12 x 12 in / 30.48 x 30.48 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This David Hockney etching is from the Brothers Grimm tale of ‘Fundevogel’: picturing a foundling bird who has transformed into a rosebush. ‘The rose and the rose stalk’ is perhaps the most delicate image from the series, with the rose thorns outlined simply and the leaves filled with crosshatching. The rose petals are the darkest part of the composition, with a wash of grey, seen from the side.

Hockney chose the story ‘Fundevogel’, or ‘Foundling bird” for its detail, and the narrative of transformation. In ‘Fundevogel’, a forester finds a baby, Fundevogel, in a bird's nest and raises him with his daughter Lenchen. The family grows up happy and loving each other. When Lenchen sees the cook carrying buckets of water to the house and learns that the cook plans to boil Fundevogel the next day. She warns him, and they flee. The cook sends servants to find them, but Fundevogel transforms into a rosebush and later into a church with Lenchen as a chandelier, each time evading capture. Eventually, Fundevogel turns into a pond with Lenchen as a duck, and the cook drowns while trying to drink from it. The children return home safely.

The rose and the rose stalk (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 10.9 x 4.7 in / 27.8 x 12 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘Fundevogel’. This etching is from the Brothers Grimm tale of ‘Fundevogel’, and depicts the moment Fundevogel has transformed into a church tower to escape an evil cook. ‘The church tower and the clock’ is based on a tower he saw on his journey down the Rhine in September 1968 (a photo of the tower upon which the etching is based features in the 1970 documentary, ‘David Hockney’s Diaries’.)

Hockney chose the story ‘Fundevogel’, or ‘Foundling bird” for its detail, and the narrative of transformation. In ‘Fundevogel’, a forester finds a baby, Fundevogel, in a bird's nest and raises him with his daughter Lenchen. The family grows up happy and loving each other. When Lenchen sees the cook carrying buckets of water to the house and learns that the cook plans to boil Fundevogel the next day. She warns him, and they flee. The cook sends servants to find them, but Fundevogel transforms into a rosebush and later into a church with Lenchen as a chandelier, each time evading capture. Eventually, Fundevogel turns into a pond with Lenchen as a duck, and the cook drowns while trying to drink from it. The children return home safely.

The church tower and the clock (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 11 x 4.8 in / 28 x 12.3 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching is Hockney’s interpretation of the Brothers Grimm tale of ‘Fundevogel’, picturing the lake where a devilish cook meets her watery grave. Hockney drew the landscape from a photograph that he found in an old German paperback guidebook, inspired by the bucolic landscapes he observed during his travels along Germany’s Rhine river. Gorgeous washes of grey layered with tight crosshatching produce a lush and tranquil sense of depth.

Hockney chose the story ‘Fundevogel’, or ‘Foundling bird” for its detail, and the narrative of transformation. In ‘Fundevogel’, a forester finds a baby, Fundevogel, in a bird's nest and raises him with his daughter Lenchen. The family grows up happy and loving each other. When Lenchen sees the cook carrying buckets of water to the house and learns that the cook plans to boil Fundevogel the next day. She warns him, and they flee. The cook sends servants to find them, but Fundevogel transforms into a rosebush and later into a church with Lenchen as a chandelier, each time evading capture. Eventually, Fundevogel turns into a pond with Lenchen as a duck, and the cook drowns while trying to drink from it. The children return home safely.

The lake (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 17.4 x 12.5 in / 44.2 x 31.8 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel. Hockney chose to illustrate Rapunzel as it is one of the most famous of the Brothers Grimm stories. Of the first of six Rapunzel etchings, Rapunzel Growing in the Garden, he said: “This is one of the few etchings I did with no references at all. It was completely invented. I just made up the garden. Rapunzel is actually in English called 'rampion', which is like a salad leaf you eat. But I couldn't find a picture of it at all, so it just looks like any old lettuce.” Minimalist lines give shape to the courtyard walls, populated within by a grid of beautifully textured grasses and plants.

Rapunzel growing in the garden (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 17.3 x 12.9 in / 44 x 32.7 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel. Hockney stated: “The old woman who wants the child. In one translation she is called a witch, and in another she’s called an enchantress....I preferred this word ‘enchantress’ - it wasn’t quite as harsh on her as the word ‘witch’, it seemed to me. This one is again invented. I think it’s partly done from Bruegel, a detail from a Bruegel painting, the hat”. Hockney’s quirky portrait captures the energy of Bruegel’s engrossing characters and grotesque humor.

The Enchantress in her garden (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 9.1 x 5.1 in / 23.2 x 13 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel. The Enchantress with the baby Rapunzel references a Heironymus Bosch painting ‘The Adoration of the Magi’ (1475) depicting the Virgin Mary and Child, and the trees originate from a Leonardo painting. Hockney deliberately made the woman ugly, imagining her as an old spinster who wished to spirit away the child of another. The enchantress’ cloak is rendered with dark aquatint and simple lines which emulate the ornate, structured folds of early Renaissance artworks.

The Enchantress with the baby Rapunzel (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 10.6 x 9.1 in / 27 x 23.1 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel. This composition is sourced from Paolo Uccello’s St George and the Dragon (1470). Hockney drew directly on the plate from the painting reference, which was then printed, reversing the image. Hockney said: “I thought the hair coming down like that strengthens the composition. I was strengthening Uccello's composition. It forms a triangle there, and just as a compositional device it gives the horse some strength.”

Andy Warhol would later screenprint the same Uccello scene in his ‘Details of Renaissance Paintings (Paolo Uccello, George and the Dragon, 1460)’

The older Rapunzel (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 8.7 x 9.7 in / 22 x 24.5 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm series, an image from the story of Rapunzel. Captured in this scene is the moment a King's son comes across the tower and falls in love with her sweet singing, beseeching her: 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair to me.' This print pictures Rapunzel's tower prison with her cascading hair nearly reaching the forest floor. Hockney's tight crosshatching enhances the menacing form of the tower, contrasted with the dense, soft grass and the elegant gesture of her hair.

This tower was likely inspired by Hockney’s travels through Germany along the Rhine River, an area which is dotted with old castles.

The tower had one window (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 13.2 x 5.9 in / 33.5 x 15 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel, which he chose for its popularity. When illustrating the prince beseeching Rapunzel at the foot of her tower, Hockney appropriated a hunter on horseback from Paolo Uccello’s epic 15th century landscape painting Hunt in the Forest. Hockney illustrates this scene with incredible textural detail: layers of aquatint defining the soft forest floor, delicate hatching on the horse's haunch, the tower's tight crosshatching, and of course the lyrical gesture of Rapunzel's hair which cascades from the upper right corner.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 10.2 x 9.6 in / 25.8 x 24.3 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting, and from the bucolic landscapes he observed along Germany’s Rhine river.

Perhaps the most desirable of the Grimms etching is Home, with an armchair framed by curtained French windows. “This etching (18) was actually done from a drawing I'd done of a house in Ireland, Sheridan Dufferin's house in Ireland, in the Library.”

Per the British Council: "In this tale a farmer had two sons. The older son was hard working and clever, the younger son whilst stupid and good for nothing was utterly fearless; indeed his only wish in life was to learn to shudder with fear. He was granted his wish and was sent to meet with ghosts and ghouls: first the sexton disguised as a ghost to spending the night with corpses taken down from the gallows to be warmed by a fire, all without a shudder of fear. His fearlessness came to the attention of the King who promised his daughter’s hand in marriage if the younger son could spend three nights in the haunted castle. After enduring three nights of mayhem and horror without a shudder of fear, the younger son and princess married. Although he lived happily with the princess, he still wished he could shudder with fear. One night the princess’s maid crept into his room, pulled back the blankets and threw a bucketful of cold squirming fish onto the sleeping man who woke with a start, and a shuddered in fear."

Home (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 17.5 x 12.6 in / 44.5 x 32 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. Hockney does not recall from what photograph this composition was modeled after but the structure is similar to many of the ancient German castles he would have observed during his travels down the Rhine river.

The bell tower (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 10.4 x 6.5 in / 26.5 x 16.5 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting, and from the bucolic landscapes he observed along Germany’s Rhine river.

Hockney described his reference for this etching: “This was drawn from simply sticking a handkerchief on top of a pencil and watching the folds, so I could draw the correct shadow on the folds and so on.” The murky darkness of night is rendered with tight crosshatching in the style of traditional engraving. The sexton's feet peek out comically from beneath his billowing disguise, facing the man whose unfazed face betrays no emotion.

Per the British Council: "In this tale a farmer had two sons. The older son was hard working and clever, the younger son whilst stupid and good for nothing was utterly fearless; indeed his only wish in life was to learn to shudder with fear. He was granted his wish and was sent to meet with ghosts and ghouls: first the sexton disguised as a ghost to spending the night with corpses taken down from the gallows to be warmed by a fire, all without a shudder of fear. His fearlessness came to the attention of the King who promised his daughter’s hand in marriage if the younger son could spend three nights in the haunted castle.

After enduring three nights of mayhem and horror without a shudder of fear, the younger son and princess married. Although he lived happily with the princess, he still wished he could shudder with fear. One night the princess’s maid crept into his room, pulled back the blankets and threw a bucketful of cold squirming fish onto the sleeping man who woke with a start, and a shuddered in fear."

The sexton disguised as a ghost (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 9.1 x 10.6 in / 23 x 26.8 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting, and from Magritte’s uncanny rock landscapes.

Hockney describes his formal influence for this etching: “…there was a line in the story that said 'the man dressed as a ghost stood still as stone', and I rather liked that idea. So that of course is a slight thing from Magritte, you know, where he made everything made of stone. And I thought, that's a nice idea, I'll just have everything - it's supposed to be done so it looks like stone.”

The sexton disguised as a ghost stood still as stone 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 17.5 x 12.7 in / 44.5 x 32.2 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image of the story ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. Hockney drew this dramatic image from life, positioning lights beneath a group of people. The dark background and harshly lit faces call to mind Goya’s theatrical etchings, many of which convey a foreboding mood.

Per the British Council: "In this tale a farmer had two sons. The older son was hard working and clever, the younger son whilst stupid and good for nothing was utterly fearless; indeed his only wish in life was to learn to shudder with fear. He was granted his wish and was sent to meet with ghosts and ghouls: first the sexton disguised as a ghost to spending the night with corpses taken down from the gallows to be warmed by a fire, all without a shudder of fear. His fearlessness came to the attention of the King who promised his daughter’s hand in marriage if the younger son could spend three nights in the haunted castle.

After enduring three nights of mayhem and horror without a shudder of fear, the younger son and princess married. Although he lived happily with the princess, he still wished he could shudder with fear. One night the princess’s maid crept into his room, pulled back the blankets and threw a bucketful of cold squirming fish onto the sleeping man who woke with a start, and a shuddered in fear."

Corpses on fire 1969
Etching, aquatint and drypoint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 10.2 x 9.7 in / 25.8 x 24.5 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image of the story ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. This image was etched 16 times resulting in the rich, dark tones: Hockney had never before created an etching of this complexity. You can see various layers of built-up crosshatching, with the lightest area on the righthand face of the castle, growing darker in the sky, with the darkest areas on the left side of the cliff and in the shadow of the turrets. The influence of Goya is visible in these rich layers.

Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting, and from the bucolic landscapes he observed along Germany’s Rhine river.

Per the British Council: "In this tale a farmer had two sons. The older son was hard working and clever, the younger son whilst stupid and good for nothing was utterly fearless; indeed his only wish in life was to learn to shudder with fear. He was granted his wish and was sent to meet with ghosts and ghouls: first the sexton disguised as a ghost to spending the night with corpses taken down from the gallows to be warmed by a fire, all without a shudder of fear. His fearlessness came to the attention of the King who promised his daughter’s hand in marriage if the younger son could spend three nights in the haunted castle. After enduring three nights of mayhem and horror without a shudder of fear, the younger son and princess married. Although he lived happily with the princess, he still wished he could shudder with fear. One night the princess’s maid crept into his room, pulled back the blankets and threw a bucketful of cold squirming fish onto the sleeping man who woke with a start, and a shuddered in fear."

The haunted castle 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 13.5 x 8.1 in / 34.2 x 20.5 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching is from ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting. Here a large knife lies atop a thick slab, from which a plume of smoke billows. Hockney layered techniques to depict the smoke including crosshatching, aquatint, and spitbite resulting in a richness that the artist had just begun to develop with this series of Grimm’s prints.

Per the British Council: "In this tale a farmer had two sons. The older son was hard working and clever, the younger son whilst stupid and good for nothing was utterly fearless; indeed his only wish in life was to learn to shudder with fear. He was granted his wish and was sent to meet with ghosts and ghouls: first the sexton disguised as a ghost to spending the night with corpses taken down from the gallows to be warmed by a fire, all without a shudder of fear. His fearlessness came to the attention of the King who promised his daughter’s hand in marriage if the younger son could spend three nights in the haunted castle.

After enduring three nights of mayhem and horror without a shudder of fear, the younger son and princess married. Although he lived happily with the princess, he still wished he could shudder with fear. One night the princess’s maid crept into his room, pulled back the blankets and threw a bucketful of cold squirming fish onto the sleeping man who woke with a start, and a shuddered in fear."

The carpenter's bench, a knife and fire (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching, aquatint, and drypoint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Paper 12 x 12 in / 30.48 x 30.48 cm
Plate 6 x 6.8 in / 15.3 x 17.2 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

Against a tightly-crosshatched background, a large black cat leaps through the air towards an unflinching seated man. The man's hands are crossed in his lap--his relaxed pose adds tension to this surreal scene. This etching is deceptively simple: Hockney etched eight layers, reworking the lines at various points when the lines went too black. However he kept working into the image, never restarting, as he thought he had mastered the boy’s placid expression and the cat’s dynamism.

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image of the story ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting, and from the bucolic landscapes he observed along Germany’s Rhine river.

Per the British Council: "In this tale a farmer had two sons. The older son was hard working and clever, the younger son whilst stupid and good for nothing was utterly fearless; indeed his only wish in life was to learn to shudder with fear. He was granted his wish and was sent to meet with ghosts and ghouls: first the sexton disguised as a ghost to spending the night with corpses taken down from the gallows to be warmed by a fire, all without a shudder of fear.

His fearlessness came to the attention of the King who promised his daughter’s hand in marriage if the younger son could spend three nights in the haunted castle. After enduring three nights of mayhem and horror without a shudder of fear, the younger son and princess married. Although he lived happily with the princess, he still wished he could shudder with fear. One night the princess’s maid crept into his room, pulled back the blankets and threw a bucketful of cold squirming fish onto the sleeping man who woke with a start, and a shuddered in fear."

A black cat leaping 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper
Plate 9.3 x 10.6 in / 23.5 x 27 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image of the story ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting, and from the bucolic landscapes he observed along Germany’s Rhine river.

Per the British Council: "In this tale a farmer had two sons. The older son was hard working and clever, the younger son whilst stupid and good for nothing was utterly fearless; indeed his only wish in life was to learn to shudder with fear. He was granted his wish and was sent to meet with ghosts and ghouls: first the sexton disguised as a ghost to spending the night with corpses taken down from the gallows to be warmed by a fire, all without a shudder of fear. His fearlessness came to the attention of the King who promised his daughter’s hand in marriage if the younger son could spend three nights in the haunted castle.

After enduring three nights of mayhem and horror without a shudder of fear, the younger son and princess married. Although he lived happily with the princess, he still wished he could shudder with fear. One night the princess’s maid crept into his room, pulled back the blankets and threw a bucketful of cold squirming fish onto the sleeping man who woke with a start, and a shuddered in fear."

The lathe and fire 1969
Etching, aquatint and drypoint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Paper 12 x 12 in / 30.48 x 30.48 cm
Plate 6 x 6.5 in / 15.1 x 16.4 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image of the story ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting, and from the bucolic landscapes he observed along Germany’s Rhine river. The main character is in motion, bringing his hand up in nonchalance. Hockney recalls that he sketched it from a horror movie still, ‘London after Midnight’ 1927, in which the abandoned home of long-gone man is taken over by ghouls.

Inside the castle (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 10 x 10.4 in / 25.5 x 26.3 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

Hockney’s reference for this work is a painting by Carpaccio: Dream of St Ursula, with her bed frame’s crenelated fabric transferred to a border along the upper edge of Hockney’s etching. Instead of an angel bringing news of the saint’s martyrdom, there is a rush of water drawn with a splash (this technique is likely Spit Bite, and the resultant bold spattered brushstroke contrasts beautifully with the rest of the carefully crosshatched image).

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio regards ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting.

Hockney’s reference for this work is a painting by Carpaccio: Dream of St Ursula, with her bed frame’s crenelated fabric transferred to a border along the upper edge of Hockney’s etching. Instead of an angel bringing news of the saint’s martyrdom, there is a rush of water drawn with a splash (this technique is likely Spit Bite, and the resultant bold spattered brushstroke contrasts beautifully with the rest of the carefully crosshatched image).

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio regards ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting.

Cold water about to hit the Prince (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 15.2 x 10.6 in / 38.5 x 27 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words 'A king built a glass mountain', and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him. He tried to draw the glass eight different ways, even smashing a sheet of glass and piling it up as reference. He ultimately decided to draw the tree and house behind the glass mountain, distorting their reflection to indicate the mountain’s transparency. This composition in particular was completely fabricated by Hockney with no composition reference. However the houses in this image are from a photograph of an ordinary building.

The glass mountain (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 17.3 x 12.8 in / 44 x 32.5 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words 'A king built a glass mountain', and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him.Hockn ey drew from Uccello’s St George and the Dragon to illustrate the princess while Rinkrank is his own creation.

He tried to draw the glass eight different ways, even smashing a sheet of glass and piling it up as reference. He ultimately decided to draw the tree and house behind the glass mountain, distorting their reflection to indicate the mountain’s transparency.

In the tale of Old Rinkrank, a king builds a glass mountain and declares that anyone who can scale it will win the hand of his daughter. The princess, however, secretly helps one of the suitors. During their climb, she slips and falls into the mountain, where she encounters Old Rinkrank. He offers her a choice between death and servitude. Opting for servitude, she works for Rinkrank for many years, while he uses a magical ladder to climb out and gather riches. One day, she traps him by locking all the doors except one, and when he peeks through the small window, she slams the sash on his beard, forcing him to surrender the ladder. She then climbs to the top of the mountain, frees Rinkrank, and returns to her father and suitor. The king punishes Rinkrank, seizing his treasures, and the princess marries her suitor. They live happily ever after.

Old Rinkrank threatens the Princess (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 9.1 x 10.6 in / 23 x 26.8 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words 'A king built a glass mountain', and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him.

Hockney described his visceral reaction to the King in this story commanding the mountain’s dismantling: “…the idea of digging into glass, the awfulness of someone putting a spade into it and chipping it away - it kind of sends shivers down you, doesn't it? So I just did that, you see, the glass splintering and shattering off.”

In the tale of Old Rinkrank, a king builds a glass mountain and declares that anyone who can scale it will win the hand of his daughter. The princess, however, secretly helps one of the suitors. During their climb, she slips and falls into the mountain, where she encounters Old Rinkrank. He offers her a choice between death and servitude. Opting for servitude, she works for Rinkrank for many years, while he uses a magical ladder to climb out and gather riches.

One day, she traps him by locking all the doors except one, and when he peeks through the small window, she slams the sash on his beard, forcing him to surrender the ladder. She then climbs to the top of the mountain, frees Rinkrank, and returns to her father and suitor. The king punishes Rinkrank, seizing his treasures, and the princess marries her suitor. They live happily ever after.

Digging up glass 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 5.1 x 4.3 in / 13 x 11 cm
Paper 12 x 12 in / 30.48 x 30.48 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words 'A king built a glass mountain', and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him.

He tried to draw the glass eight different ways, even smashing a sheet of glass and piling it up as reference. He ultimately decided to draw the tree and house behind the glass mountain, distorting their reflection to indicate the mountain’s transparency.

Hockney described his visceral reaction to the King in this story commanding the mountain’s dismantling: “…the idea of digging into glass, the awfulness of someone putting a spade into it and chipping it away - it kind of sends shivers down you, doesn't it? So I just did that, you see, the glass splintering and shattering off.” Ultimately Hockney conceived the composition purely from his imagination rather than relying on visual references.

In the tale of Old Rinkrank, a king builds a glass mountain and declares that anyone who can scale it will win the hand of his daughter. The princess, however, secretly helps one of the suitors. During their climb, she slips and falls into the mountain, where she encounters Old Rinkrank. He offers her a choice between death and servitude. Opting for servitude, she works for Rinkrank for many years, while he uses a magical ladder to climb out and gather riches.

One day, she traps him by locking all the doors except one, and when he peeks through the small window, she slams the sash on his beard, forcing him to surrender the ladder. She then climbs to the top of the mountain, frees Rinkrank, and returns to her father and suitor. The king punishes Rinkrank, seizing his treasures, and the princess marries her suitor. They live happily ever after.

The glass mountain shattered 1969
Plate 9.1 x 10.5 in / 23 x 26.7 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words 'A king built a glass mountain', and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him. He tried to draw the glass eight different ways, even smashing a sheet of glass and piling it up as reference. He ultimately decided to draw the tree and house behind the glass mountain, distorting their reflection to indicate the mountain’s transparency.

Hockney describes how he heightened the emotional impact of this chapter of the story with various etching techniques: “The Princess then is found in the glass mountain (33) a lot older, so I made her short-sighted and ugly, and with big chunks of glass still around so you see her magnified in it. I used opposite techniques for this. This bit's done with hard-ground (line etching) and that's done with soft-ground (pencil on tissue paper) etching, so the line is soft.” Her glasses are an example of Hockney’s sense of humor with their zany spirals. Despite her age, she dons a close-fitting dress skimming her decollete.

In the tale of Old Rinkrank, a king builds a glass mountain and declares that anyone who can scale it will win the hand of his daughter. The princess, however, secretly helps one of the suitors. During their climb, she slips and falls into the mountain, where she encounters Old Rinkrank. He offers her a choice between death and servitude. Opting for servitude, she works for Rinkrank for many years, while he uses a magical ladder to climb out and gather riches. One day, she traps him by locking all the doors except one, and when he peeks through the small window, she slams the sash on his beard, forcing him to surrender the ladder. She then climbs to the top of the mountain, frees Rinkrank, and returns to her father and suitor. The king punishes Rinkrank, seizing his treasures, and the princess marries her suitor. They live happily ever after.

The Princess after many years in the glass mountain 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 17.7 x 12.6 in / 45 x 32 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Hockney wanted to mimick the shining texture of gold, drawing rays around the ingots and writing “GOLD” in loose, outlined letters. He states: “I show the straw as falling down but leave in signs that make the gold look shiny. Is that obvious? I was never sure, when I was doing them, I didn't want to make them too obvious; but on the other hand, I didn't want to make them too obscure on the visual side.”

A room full of straw (Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm) 1969
Etching on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 13.5 x 10.2 in / 34.3 x 26 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio pictures the story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. A room full of straw references Magritte’s The Tomb of the Wrestlers (in which a rose, and in another painting an apple, fills a room). However the reference is formal rather than conceptual. Hockney notes that while Magritte’s images play with scale, his image does not: “you could have a room full of straw, whereas you couldn't have a whole rose fill a room.”

Straw provided an ideal subject for Hockney to loosen up his typically precise cross hatching, with frenetic horizontal lines shaping the hay. Subtle wood texture rendered in aquatint provides a soft base for the hay in dark grey. Elegant line work defines a double window to the right, the baseboards, and mouldings where the walls meet the ceiling.

A room full of straw 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 9.8 x 8.7 in / 25 x 22 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Hockney says he was intrigued by the idea of drawing something entirely abstract and focusing on the contrasting textures of the straw and the gold. He drew the straw with pencil on soft ground to mimic the relative softness of hay, whereas he drew the gold with a precise line to show its hardness.

Straw on the left, gold on the right 1969
Etching W S Hodgkinson paper
Plate 5.9 x 9.6 in / 15 x 24.4 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Rumpelstilzchen is an invented composition, based on Hockney’s 1961 etching of the character. The artist also sketched numerous reference drawings. Hockney wanted to convey his grotesque appearance without making him so ugly as to deny the ultimate mercy that Rumpelstiltskin offers at the end of the story when he returns the baby of the miller’s daughter’s.

Pleading for the child 1969
Etching on W S Hodgkinson paper
Plate 10.5 x 10.0 in / 26.7 x 25.5 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Hockney invented this composition in which Rumpelstiltskin is dancing round the fire on a cooking spoon singing ‘Rumpelstiltskin is my name'. The antagonist of the Grimm Brothers' eponymous fairy tale, is pictured here at the moment of his escape from the queen. After helping a desperate maiden spin straw into gold in exchange for a promise, he has returned to claim that now-queen's first-born child. Her only hope is to guess his name, and when she speaks it aloud, he flies into a rage and escapes on a soup ladle. Hockney emphasizes the creature's diminutive stature by placing him on an outsized spoon against a menacing, inky background. There's a sense of a set or stage, of puppetry or of silhouettes, that is enhanced by how the artist has defined the cooking fire in shades of grey that look like layered cutouts.

Riding around on a cooking spoon 1969
Etching, aquatint, and drypoint on W S Hodgkinson paper
Plate 6.5 x 9.9 in / 16.4 x 25.2 cm
Paper 17.75 x 16 in / 45.09 x 40.64 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Hockney invented this composition, stating “I liked the idea of starting off with a rather ordinary picture ... a silly little man who's stamped his foot into the ground, then is pulling it out, then pulls himself apart, and finally finishes up with this. It's really an abstracted picture, his lips floating about in the air, and an eye and an eyelash. Again, I suppose it's not, in a way, an illustration idea; it was just visually interesting for me - being able to move from that to that in just two stages. And it worked. So the interest for me isn't always in the story. It's what the story suggests visually, and things like that, that keeps me going.” Hockney completed several practice sketches before drawing directly on the copper plate.

He tore himself in two 1969
Etching and aquatint on W S Hodgkinson paper watermarked "DH" and "PP"
Plate 17.6 x 12.8 in / 44.7 x 32.4 cm
Paper 24.75 x 17.5 in / 62.87 x 44.45 cm
Unique publisher’s copy aside from the edition of 400 books and 100 portfolios