Hockney's Dachshund Goes to Auction for the First Time

Christie's will sell, for the first time, a Hockney painting of his dachshund Stanley, a rarity from the Dog Series.

On October 14, Christie's in London will offer "Dog Painting 17," a 1995 David Hockney painting of his dachshund Stanley, named after silent-film star Stan Laurel. The estimate is £1.5–2.5 million. It is the first work from Hockney's Dog Series, more than 40 paintings made in 1994–95, ever to come to auction: Christie's says only six paintings from the series remain in private hands, with the rest held by the artist's foundation.

Hockney began the series during a difficult period, shortly after several close friends died of AIDS and cancer, conceiving it as an attempt to "paint something loving." According to Christie's head of postwar and contemporary art, the painting combines spontaneity and fluid brushwork with something that reaches well beyond an ordinary pet portrait.