Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio
Painting on canvas • David Hockney
Style & Movement
Contemporary Art / Pop Art influence / Post-Modernist Landscape Painting
Medium & Technique
Acrylic on canvas. The work features flat application of vibrant color, stippled brushwork, and linear patterns used to define texture and topography.
Creation Period
1980
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 218.4 x 617.2 cm (86 x 243 inches); monumental landscape format
Subject Description
A panoramic landscape of the Mulholland Drive area in Los Angeles. The composition uses multiple viewpoints to represent the experience of driving through the hills, featuring roads, hillsides, electric towers, and urban vegetation in a vibrant, non-naturalistic color palette.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent/Very Good. As an institutional centerpiece, the work is maintained under museum-grade climate controls and appears to be in its original state.
Estimated Market Value
$80,000,000 - $120,000,000 (Based on record-breaking Hockney prices such as 'Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)')
Auction Estimate
$70,000,000 - $100,000,000
Provenance History
Commissioned or purchased for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) where it has remained as a cornerstone of the contemporary collection.
Art Historical Significance
This is one of Hockney's most significant large-scale works. It represents his transition into more complex, multi-focal landscapes and his fascination with the Southern California landscape and the concept of 'moving' through space.
Notable Features
Monumental scale; use of bright, contrasting colors (orange, purple, blue); distinct sections that represent the artist's subjective memory of various points along the drive.
Condition Issues
No major visible issues; potential for minor surface dust or micro-cracking typical of older acrylic layers, though none are visible in high-quality display photographs.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain stable humidity (45-55%) and temperature (approx. 20°C). UV-filtered lighting only. Regular inspection of the expansive tension of the canvas on its stretcher.