Les mamelles de Tirésias - L'Enfant et les Sortilèges - Parade 1981

This original poster was created for a 1981 exhibition of David Hockney’s paintings, gouaches and coloured-pencil studies at the Galerie Claude Bernard in Paris. The exhibition presented his designs for the sets and costumes of Les Mamelles de Tirésias, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges and Parade.

The central image reproduces one of Hockney’s exuberant theatrical designs. Against a brilliant blue sky and seaside setting, brightly costumed figures occupy a playful stage populated by striped façades, palm trees, sailing boats and an imaginative horse-like prop.

The three works formed Parade: An Evening of French Music Theater, a celebrated triple bill presented at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House in 1981. Hockney’s colourful and inventive designs helped unite the productions through a distinctive visual language combining modern painting with the artificiality and spectacle of theatre.

The lively image is balanced by bold black typography and pale-yellow lettering, creating a particularly effective exhibition design. This original poster was printed in offset by the Imprimerie Moderne du Lion in Paris for the exhibition held from 17 June to 1 August 1981.

David Hockney was one of the most influential British artists of his generation, renowned for his paintings, drawings, prints, photography and stage designs. Combining an important Paris exhibition with his acclaimed work for the Metropolitan Opera, this original poster is a highly collectable example of Hockney’s theatrical art.

Original poster

Exhibition - Theater - Opera

Metropolitan Opera House New York - Galerie Claude Bernard

Modern du Lion Paris

Good condition