CENTURY ACQUIRES HOCKNEY BIOGRAPHY
The Bookseller, 16.03.09

Random House UK imprint Century has acquired World English Rights to the authorised biography of David Hockney in a joint acquisition with Random House Inc.

Written by Christopher Simon Sykes, rights were acquired from Ed Victor at Ed Victor Ltd.

Hockney will be providing interviews, contacts to family and friends and his own notebooks and paintings which will be reproduced in 32 pages of colour. The book will be published to coincide with the major Hockney retrospective at the Royal Academy planned for 2011.

Sykes has known Hockney as an acquaintance since he was eighteen when he was introduced to the artist by John Kasmin, Hockney’s first dealer. Sykes said: "He's a wonderful companion and great talker, and after I had finished the Clapton book and was looking for a new subject, I suddenly thought 'why not David Hockney?'

The idea was also partly inspired by an assignment I had had photographing the artist, Mary Fedden, who is 92 and had taught him at The RCA. Listening to her talking about him made me realise how important it was to write down the reminiscences of people of her age before they are lost. After establishing that the last book about him had been written over 20 years ago, I wrote to him proposing myself as a possible biographer. That was in July 2007. He gave me his decision in October 2008, so he had plenty of time to think about it!"