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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 18 sepTember 2018
David Hockney painting expected to break auction records

By JOCELYN NOVECK he was fascinated to paint
Associated Press moving water.
NEW YORK (AP) — One of The painting has been held
David Hockney's famous by a private collector, and
"pool paintings" is coming "we have been trying to
to auction and is expect- get it for a very long time,"
ed to sell in the $80 million Rotter said.
range, easily breaking the A depiction of two men —
record for a work by a liv- one swimming the breast-
ing artist. stroke underwater, the
The British artist's "Portrait other standing by the pool
of an Artist (Pool with Two looking down — the paint-
Figures)," to be auctioned ing was originally inspired,
at Christie's on Nov. 15, is according to background
considered one of his pre- provided by Christie's, by
mier works. Christie's has es- two photographs Hockney
timated the work at about found juxtaposed on his stu-
$80 million, but says it ex- dio floor, one of a swimmer
pects it to sell for more. in Hollywood in 1966, and
The previous record for a another of a boy staring at
work by a living artist was A Christie's employee approaches David Hockney's "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)," something on the ground.
set by Jeff Koons' "Balloon Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in New York. The rocky landscape is in
Dog," which sold for $58.4 Associated Press southern France, and the
million in 2013. standing figure is said to
The 1972 painting by Hock- of post-war and contem- in sunny California in the in an interview. He noted represent Peter Schlesing-
ney, now 81, is "the holy porary art at Christie's. He '60s, and saw himself as liv- that writers have referred to er, whom the artist met in
grail of his paintings, from noted that it reflects both ing on both continents. the swimming pool as be- 1966, when the younger
both the historical and the the European and the "It has all the elements that ing sort of a self-portrait of man was a student in one
market perspectives," said American perspectives of you would want in a Hock- Hockney, though he never of Hockney's art classes at
Alex Rotter, co-chairman an artist who came to live ney painting," Rotter said confirmed that, just saying UCLA. q

School shootings inspire new Bacharach song

By HILLEL ITALIE in Love Again." He's not
Associated Press thought of as a "protest"
NEW YORK (AP) — At age writer, but current events
90, Burt Bacharach hasn't have moved him before.
lost faith in the power of In the mid-1960s, he and
music. lyricist Hal David were con-
"Music softens the heart, cerned about the coun-
makes you feel something try's growing presence in
if it's good, brings in emo- Vietnam and wrote "What
tion that you might not the World Needs Now," a
have felt before," he told standard that Bacharach
The Associated Press dur- still features in live perfor-
ing a recent telephone in- mance. Onstage, he might
terview. "It's a very powerful make a joke about Presi-
thing if you're able to do to dent Donald Trump's prom-
it, if you have it in your heart ise to build a wall along the
to do something like that." Mexican border or dedi-
The celebrated songwriter cate a song to victims in
has collaborated with fel- Puerto Rico of Hurricane
low Grammy winner Rudy Maria.
Perez on "Live to See An- Bacharach says he has
other Day," a somber bal- no plans to stop writing, or
lad inspired by the Park- performing. He contributes
land massacre and other music to a new album by
school shootings. Released Elvis Costello, a longtime
Monday, the song was admirer with whom Bacha-
recorded with the Miami This May 6, 2013 photo shows composer Burt Bacharach posing for a portrait in New York. rach has worked with be-
Symphony Orchestra and Associated Press fore, and he continues to
features the vocals of two tour, including a two-hour
Florida teens, Haven Star schoolchildren in 2012. "It's just crazy," he said of Day" is "our cry to stop the show in July at London's
and Angie Green. Pro- Bacharach says the new the school shootings. "I think violence aimed at our chil- Royal Festival Hall.
ceeds will be donated to song, which includes such the best you can do (as a dren in schools." "You can throw up your
the Sandy Hook Promise lyrics as "We can't live like songwriter) as far as putting Bacharach is among the hands and say, 'I can't do
Foundation, an anti-gun vi- this forever/ Got to have out a message, is ... move most successful composers this anymore,' but it's what
olence organization based a change of heart," was people." of his time, with hits includ- I do. I'm not just going to
in Newtown, Connecticut, about love and "keeping Perez said in a statement ing "I Say a Little Prayer," stop and retire, that is like
where a gunman killed 20 our kids safe." that "Live to See Another ''Alfie" and "I'll Never Fall dying, you know."q