In 1970, a young David Hockney held a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade—an early indication of his global influence and a moment of enduring significance in the Museum’s history.
Today, more than five decades later, Hockney returns—this time through the vivid legacy of his work and the radical evolution of his artistic language.
The idea to once again present David Hockney’s works to the Belgrade public—recognised as one of the most influential artists of our time—originally stemmed from our desire to highlight an artist who marked the formative years of the Museum’s existence. His exhibition resonated long after it concluded, leaving a lasting impression on the local art scene and its artists, while also honouring the Museum’s ongoing commitment to showcasing groundbreaking art to local, regional, and international audiences.
David Hockney (b. 1937) is one of the most influential and cherished artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. A central figure in British art and a lifelong innovator, Hockney has consistently pushed the boundaries of painting, drawing, photography, and digital media. His work bridges classical artistic traditions with bold experimentation in perspective, colour, and technology. Whether capturing the intimacy of personal relationships, the play of light in Californian swimming pools, or the changing seasons of the English countryside, Hockney’s art is defined by a profound commitment to seeing—and to helping others see afresh.
His embrace of the iPad, iPhone, and digital drawing as serious artistic tools has expanded the vocabulary of contemporary art, inspiring generations of artists to reconsider how we create and communicate visual experience. Hockney’s influence transcends media and geography. He has exhibited in the world’s foremost museums, authored pioneering theoretical reflections on vision and perception, and helped redefine the possibilities of modern portraiture and landscape.
Throughout every phase of his career—from his early graphic works to his immersive digital environments—Hockney invites viewers into a world of colour, clarity, and continual reinvention.
The exhibition From Paper to Screen offers a unique insight into Hockney’s oeuvre across the decades, from early drawings and etchings of the 1960s to his most recent iPad works. It links his classical draughtsmanship with contemporary digital experimentation—creating a dialogue between past and present, analogue and digital, material and immaterial. It invites us to reconsider the role of the artist in an age of technological transformation at the turn of the century—and to reflect on how the very act of seeing has evolved.
We are honoured to share this moment with our audience, to rekindle a cultural connection that spans decades, and to once again welcome David Hockney’s visionary work to Belgrade