15.9″ x 17.7″ (40.5 x 45 cm), etching with aquatint, 1969, from an edition of 100.

This etching is from Hockney’s Grimm’s Fairytale series. no.56/100, signed.

Hockney read the Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tales in his childhood, and said of them: "They’re fascinating, the little stories, told in a very very simple, direct, straightforward language and style, it was this simplicity that attracted me. They cover quite a strange range of experience, from the magical to the moral.” The Enchantress sits like an Italian Renaissance Madonna with the baby Rapunzel on her lap, in front of a landscape reminiscent of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Annunciation. Hockney’s unfailing instinct for placement and his restrained simplicity makes the composition beautifully harmonious, and focusses us on the evil intent on the face of the Enchantress, with her hooked nose, pointed chin and lank hair that hint at traditional images of witches. Etchings from the Grimm Brothers' series are in major public collections including The Met, British Museum and British Council.
We off this together with two touring exhibition posters, please ask for details.