Hockney A Portrait in Nail
This unique artwork was commissioned by the Little Germany Action Group. Dave West had a vision of creating a thriving cultural hub for the residents of Little Germany, and after being introduced to the artist Marcus Levine, he decided to honor David Hockney, a successful artist born in Bradford.
It took the vision of two people to create this work. Dave committed to raising the funds and finding a suitable location, while Marcus dedicated himself to doing something entirely unique—developing a new technique to create the world’s first CMYK (cyan magenta yellow and black) -coloured nail sculpture.
The sculpture, made up of 12 panels, measures 4.8 by 3.6 meters and utilises over 250 kg of stainless steel nails, painted in primary colors. By blending these different primary-coloured nails, Marcus created the illusion of a wider spectrum of colors. The project took a total of 15 months to complete and was unveiled in 2017, just in time for Hockney’s 80th birthday.
After 7 years of being displayed on an outside wall, concerns about the sculpture’s potential deterioration necessitated finding it a new indoor home.
Just before it was taken down, David Hockney visited the portrait and remarked that “it was marvellous, and he loved it.”
After another month of restoration work, during which Marcus meticulously cleaned and restored each panel and repainted every nail head, the sculpture was ready for reinstallation.
Marcus committed 16 months of his life to this one portrait, and it is now here for everyone to appreciate and enjoy.
Unveiled to large crowds in 2017