Name: Donald Cribb
Brand: David Hockney
Rating: 4.9 (219 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of David Hockney’s Donald Cribb, a signed lithograph print from 1971, is estimated to be worth between £4,950 and £7,500. This artwork has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 32%. This is a rare artwork with an auction history of two sales since its entry to the market in October 2005. The hammer price over the past five years has ranged from £1,676 in November 2017 to £4,334 in December 2019, demonstrating the potential for value growth. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 59.

Auction Date

Auction House

Artwork

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

November 2020

Uppsala Auktionskammare - Sweden

Donald Cribb - Signed Print

October 2005

Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom

Donald Cribb - Signed Print

Meaning & Analysis

Donald Cribb is a signed lithographic print by David Hockney portraying Donald Cribb, the founder of Santa Ana Artists Village, at three-quarter view. This print was released in 1971 in an edition size of 59. Thanks to Hockney’s mastery of lithography as a printmaking technique, the right side of the model’s face retains a sublime glow, perhaps a reflection of the sun rays leaking into the surrounding space. Cribb’s facial expression, hovering between earnest and thoughtful, represents a moment of deep focus. Although it may initially appear contrary, the sitter’s eyes do not meet the viewer’s gaze, reaching slightly above the eye-level. This subtle detail leaves the viewer curious about what has drawn Hockney to portraiture most throughout his fifty-year career: the rich complexity of the inner life and personality of the human subject.

Cribb, a lifelong friend of Hockney, saw potential in Santa Ana, a small California town, and moved there from New York, driven by the idea of integrating arts, culture, and culinary activities in a single creative space. After producing this lithograph print, Hockney did not portray Cribb again until he embarked on 82 Portraits And One Still-life in 2015. Considered in the light of the more recent acrylic portrait, in which Cribb appears in his seventies, reclining on a chair with white hair discernible from the distance, the 1971 print exemplifies Hockney’s unique ability to record his friends’ passage through time.