Peter Schlesinger (born April 2, 1948 in Los Angeles, California)[1] is an American artist, author, and former artist's model, perhaps most well known for being the subject in numerous notable canvases by the British painter David Hockney.

Biography

edit

Peter Schlesinger was an 18-year-old student at UCLA when he met the then 28-year-old artist David Hockney, who was teaching a summer class at the university. They began a long affair; Schlesinger relocated with Hockney to London[when?], where he subsequently undertook to study at the Slade School of Art.[2] Whilst in a relationship with Hockney, he was often the artist's subject and muse; he appears in some of Hockney's best-known works, including Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972)[3]—which, in 2018, sold for over $90 million, setting the monetary record for a painting by a living artist— Peter Schlesinger with Polaroid Camera, and Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool.[4][5]

Schlesinger went on to pursue his own career as a visual artist, creating sculptures, paintings, and photographs.[6]

Books

edit

His photography is the subject of two volumes for which he also wrote the text; A Chequered Past (2003, Thames and Hudson)[7] and Peter Schlesinger: A Photographic Memory 1968–1989 (2015, Damiani; co-authored with Hilton Als).[8][9]

Personal life

edit

The 1974 film A Bigger Splash (named after Hockney's famous painting) is about the breakup of Schlesinger's relationship with Hockney.

Schlesinger's later partner was the Swedish photographer Eric Bowman, with whom he shared a home in Bellport on Long Island.[10]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Peter Schlesinger - Art Auction Results". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  2. ^ Brazilian, Alexa (2 December 2015). "Intimate Pictures From a Legendary Photographer". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Fineartmultiple Art Magazine - David Hockney's Life and Art—"I have done what I wanted to do, every day."". fineartmultiple.com. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Peter Schlesinger with Polaroid camera by David Hockney: History, Analysis & Facts". Arthive. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool, 20th century and contemporary". www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  6. ^ Wilkinson, Isabel (27 January 2012). "Peter Schlesinger, David Hockney's Muse, Shows New Works in L.A." The Daily Beast. Retrieved 16 November 2018 – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  7. ^ results, search; Blahnik, Manolo (31 January 2004). A Chequered Past: My Visual Diary of the '60s and '70s. Gardners Books. ISBN 050054283X.
  8. ^ "A Look Inside Peter Schlesinger's A Photographic Memory". vogue.com. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  9. ^ Peter Schlesinger A Photographic Memory 1968-1989 ARTBOOK - D.A.P. 2015 Catalog Damiani 9788862084369. Retrieved 16 November 2018. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Principe, Victor (16 November 2018). Bellport Revisited. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738557465. Retrieved 16 November 2018 – via Google Books.
edit
  • The artist's website – [1]