Harriet Gibson recalls an eye-opening encounter with the artist, while Andrew Keeley talks about the influence of California on his work, and Christine Hayes recalls his ‘letter’ to the Guardian about smoking
In 1963, I was a naive 17-year-old on a week’s introduction to “art” at the Royal Court theatre with a group of about 10 sixth formers. We had an acting workshop with John Dexter, went to a wrestling match and were taken to visit an up-and-coming artist in his studio in Notting Hill.
I remember a smallish room with paintings lining the walls. David Hockney (Obituary, 12 June) talked about his work, said he was about to leave for the States and showed us a work on the wall called My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, which he explained was dedicated to his boyfriend who was in the States.
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