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29 color screen print on heavy stock signed by the artist lower right in red crayon. Created by the artist for his exhibition at Knoedler Gallery, New York, 1980, it reproduces the eponymous oil painting, 1977-1979 to the same size as the painting itself. The 29 printings meticulously mirror the richly painted original.
This vibrant screen print positions Howard Hodgkin’s painting “In a French Restaurant” on a black background, with white text at the bottom reading “Howard Hodgkin Paintings Knoedler Gallery New York 1980.” Sheer layers of bright red cover stripes of yellow, terra cotta, and brown. Dots of pink, marks originally painted with the artist’s hand and fingers, overlay dark purple shapes. Deep green and turquoise are marked with navy, cobalt blue, and pale pink. Towards the top of the poster, a French flag is pictured hanging diagonally.
While the work pictured is abstract, the title implies that the space is that of a restaurant, perhaps viewed from above. Hodgkin’s other works in the Knoedler Gallery show are also named for places and scenes, featuring an artist studio, someone reading a book, eating dinner, and a still life in a restaurant. Hodgkin was interested in extracting the feeling of scenes: the emotion and energy of a single moment, though the physical settings were often abstracted beyond recognition.
While many posters are four color photographic reproductions, this vintage poster is an original 29 color screen print designed by the artist and printed on high-quality paper in a signed unnumbered edition of 500.
