Artist Focus: New David Hockney Exhibition to Open at Serpentine North in London

A new exhibition by the celebrated British artist David Hockney will open at London Serpentine’s Serpentine North Gallery on 12 March 2026, presenting new paintings alongside the artist’s monumental frieze A Year in Normandie. The exhibition, titled A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting, will run until 23 August 2026 and marks Hockney’s first presentation at the Serpentine. Admission will be free.

David Hockney, London 2023
(Image credit: © David Hockney Photo Credit: Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima)

The show follows the artist’s major retrospective at Fondation Louis Vuitton in 2025, which featured more than 400 works spanning seven decades of his career. In contrast, the Serpentine exhibition offers a more intimate view of Hockney’s recent practice.

“David Hockney’s work invites us to look closely and rediscover the world around us,” said Bettina Korek, chief executiove of the Serpentine, adding that the gallery was pleased to present the works free of charge in the park setting.

At the centre of the exhibition will be A Year in Normandie (2020–2021), a panoramic frieze being shown in London for the first time. 

David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting, installation view, Serpentine North, 2026 © David Hockney. Photo: George Darrell

Extending around the perimeter gallery, the work charts the changing seasons around Hockney’s former studio in Normandy, France. Created during the spring of 2020, when global lockdowns brought much of the world to a halt, the piece comprises more than 100 digital paintings produced on an iPad. Working quickly and intuitively, Hockney captured shifts in light, weather and landscape across the year.

David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting, installation view, Serpentine North, 2026 © David Hockney. Photo: George Darrell

The format of the work draws inspiration from Chinese scroll painting as well as the eleventh-century Bayeux Tapestry. The resulting compositions combine broad areas of bold colour with playful, pop-like details as spring gives way to summer, autumn and winter.

David Hockney, Abstraction Resting on a Red and White Checkered Tablecloth, 2025. (Image credit: © David Hockney. Photo: Prudence Cuming)

Alongside the frieze, the exhibition will debut a new body of paintings created for the Serpentine. The series includes five still lifes and five portraits depicting members of Hockney’s close circle, including family members and carers. Each painting is arranged with a frontal composition and incorporates a recurring gingham tablecloth motif.

In these works Hockney merges abstract and figurative approaches. The artist has long argued that figurative painting is inherently abstract, as it exists on a flat surface. A large-scale mural by Hockney will also be installed in the garden at Serpentine North. The printed work depicts a tree house from the spring section of A Year in Normandie and will be displayed at the rear of the gallery, echoing its origin in the artist’s own garden in Normandy.

“I have always believed that art should be a deep pleasure,” Hockney said in a statement. “There is always, everywhere, an enormous amount of suffering, but I believe that my duty as an artist is to overcome and alleviate the sterility of despair. New ways of seeing mean new ways of feeling. I do believe that painting can change the world.”

Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Serpentine’s artistic director and curator of the exhibition alongside Claude Adjil, said Hockney continues to experiment with painting at the age of 88.  He noted that the new portraits explore both the presence of the sitters and the act of seeing itself, while the frieze offers a personal reflection on the passage of time.

A catalogue designed by Hockney will accompany the exhibition, published by Serpentine and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König. The publication will include essays by Marco Livingstone and Olivia Laing, as well as a conversation between Hockney and Obrist.

Separately, the artist will unveil a new commission at Turner Contemporary in Margate on 1 April 2026. Created to mark the gallery’s 15th anniversary, the work will transform the Sunley Gallery’s floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the North Sea, measuring approximately seven by ten metres.

A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting - Serpentine North Gallery - 12 March - 23 August 2026     Admission Free

Images courtesy of  The Serpentine, London

Textiles Trade Fair: Première Vision Paris announces February and September 2025 event dates

Reported by Lucia Carpio.  All photos by Lucia Carpio from Première Vision Paris February 2024 edition.

Première Vision Paris is an essential event for professionals to explore upcoming trends in textiles, colours, materials, and design. Held twice annually, the fair allows industry players to stay ahead of seasonal trends while offering exhibitors a valuable platform to showcase cutting-edge fabrics, sustainable materials, and innovations in textile production. This keeps designers, brands, and manufacturers globally inspired and competitive within an ever-evolving market.

The fair brings together the entire textile value chain—from yarns to fabrics, designs, leather, accessories, and smart creation—catering to markets ranging from luxury and premium to mass distribution. This holistic approach positions Première Vision as a global observatory, capturing the evolution of an industry undergoing both structural and cyclical transformations.

In 2025, Première Vision Paris will return to its traditional February and September schedule. Additionally, Blossom Première Vision, its sister event, will shift to early summer and December, enhancing alignment with the industry's rapid pace and changing needs.

The GL events Fashion Division, responsible for Première Vision, announced this new schedule to support the industry’s shift toward sustainable transformation, technological advancement, changing consumer habits, and evolving economic demands. 

According to Florence Rousson, General Manager of GL events Fashion Division, these changes represent “the first strong steps in a new strategy” aimed at supporting the industry’s transformation. She emphasized that these adjustments are driven by GL events’ commitment to reshaping the industry, reinforcing Première Vision’s role as a catalyst for growth.

With 19 annual events, GL events’ fashion division includes Première Vision, Tranoï, and Fashion Source shows, creating a unique hub that addresses modern challenges in the global fashion market. As a vital part of the creative industry, this division fosters collaboration and debate among creative professionals worldwide.

Face-to-face interactions at international trade fairs remain invaluable for building strong global business relationships, enabling richer communication and collaboration than is typically possible through remote means.

Fashion and Sport: Vogue World: Paris at the Place Vendôme, 23 June, ahead of the Olympics. "Mode et Sport" exhibition at Musée des Arts Décoratifs

It has been announced that this year's edition of Vogue World will take place in Paris at the iconic Place Vendôme, on Sunday 23 June, to kick off Paris Couture Week ahead of the Summer Olympics, 

The "Mode et Sport, d’un podium à l’autre (Fashion and Sport, from one podium to another)"  exhibition currently on show at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris until April 9th 2024.

In partnership with youth athletic academies across France, Vogue World: Paris is a visionary event that brings together each Olympic sport, including cycling, gymnastics, tennis, taekwondo, fencing, and break dancing, among others. This collaboration seamlessly weaves the essence of French fashion, highlighting distinctive themes from every decade since 1924, the year when Paris last hosted the Olympic Games.

The showcase will feature a diverse array of French designers, both contemporary and historical, along with renowned fashion houses that have traditionally unveiled their collections in Paris. Throughout the evening, attendees can anticipate unexpected live performances that punctuate the event with surprise and excitement. 

Vogue World: Paris promises to be a unique fusion of athletic prowess and iconic French fashion, creating an unforgettable experience.

"I am delighted that Vogue World has found its third home here in Paris. If Vogue World: New York was a street fair, and Vogue World: London was a glamorous night at the theatre – supporting arts and cultural organisations in London – Paris will be a kind of opening ceremony; one that celebrates 100 years of fashion and sport, as well as this extraordinary city,” announced Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer, Condé Nast, and Global Editorial Director, Vogue.

At a cursory glance, sports and fashion appear to inhabit divergent realms – one characterised by elegance, the other by performance. However, a current exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris challenges this perceived dichotomy by illuminating the intimate connection between Sport and Fashion. Many historians pinpoint the genesis of modern sports to the early 19th century, marked by the codification of various sports disciplines.

Since 1912, Olympic Games host cities have been mandated to actively promote the event. The inaugural original poster emerged in Stockholm, above left, created by Olie Hjortzberg in 1912. Drawing inspiration from antiquity, Hjortzberg's illustrations portrayed unclothed athletes showcasing prominent musculature. Deemed too audacious, the image underwent revision, with strategically placed streamers introduced to obscure the central figures' nudity.
As for the1924 Paris Games official poster, above right, designed by Jean Droit, shirtless men proudly displayed their robust physiques, yet strategically draped fabric delicately covered their hips. This design simultaneously evoked classical antiquity while upholding a sense of revered modesty. Notably, the uniformly depicted white male athletes mirrored the Euro-centric perspective prevalent in that era's Games, which saw minimal participation from women.

Notes from the exhibition "Mode et Sport, d'un podium à l'autre (Fashion and Sport, from one podium to another)" - currently on show until April 7 2024 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris - reveal that the conceptualisation of specialised sportswear began in late 19th century, coinciding with the introduction of competition and performance in sports. 

However, it wasn't until the 1920s that the sportswear market experienced significant growth. The period between the two world wars marked a transformative connection between fashion and the world of sports, as prominent couture houses adorned both Parisian socialites and female sports champions.

The sporty aesthetic gained public admiration, prompting fashion to swiftly adapt and adopt a more casual tone after the First World War. 

In 1933, René Lacoste, collaborating with hosier André Gillier, introduced the iconic "Lacoste shirt." Notably, the polo shirt, initially favoured by polo players, had already transitioned into fashionable vacation attire by 1930, earning the moniker "Antibes-shirt" by Coco Chanel.  Lacoste's significant contribution lay in producing it from petit piqué, a honeycomb cotton knit that not only absorbed sweat but also facilitated optimal breathability for the wearer's comfort.

Designs and fabrics originally tailored for athletes seamlessly integrated into everyday wardrobes, often causing their athletic origins to be overlooked.  For example, in 1933, French tennis player René Lacoste, having retired from competitive sports, embarked on the establishment of his sporting goods company. Collaborating with hosier André Gillier, he introduced the iconic "Lacoste shirt." This innovative design featured short sleeves, enabling enhanced freedom of movement, while the ribbed collar, both elegant and practical, could be raised to shield the neck from sunburn. Notably, the polo shirt, initially favoured by polo players, had already transitioned into fashionable vacation attire by 1930, earning the moniker "Antibes-shirt" by Coco Chanel. Lacoste's significant contribution lay in producing it from petit piqué, a honeycomb cotton knit that not only absorbed sweat but also facilitated optimal breathability for the wearer's comfort.

French designer André Courrèges 's Sweatshirt in cotton jersey with machine embroidery
from the "Hyperbole" S/S 1978 collection.

These shifts in attire played a role in shaping evolving societal norms, as the influence of sports contributed to the emancipation of women, gradually softening the limits of modesty. The ongoing pursuit of comfort emerged as a recurrent theme in the history of fashion. 

Ski-suit in polyester, Gore-Tex and polyamide, designed by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
for winter sports brand Rossignol 2005. 

Sportswear, consistently innovative, continues to lead the way with items like polos, trainers, tracksuits, baseball caps, puffer jackets, and leggings, now commonplace in everyone's wardrobe. From the gym to the street, and from the podium to the catwalk, the intertwined history of fashion and sports illuminates the contemporary dressing habits we embrace today.

Vogue World: Paris  will be live streamed from Paris at 2pm EST / 8pm CET on 23 June.

Photos of «Mode et sport, d’un podium à l’autre» - an exhibition running until April 9th 2024 at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris - by Lucia Carpio