David Hockney’s Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) is returning to Lightroom for one evening only, with special charity screenings marking what would have been the artist’s 89th birthday.
At the request of David Hockney Studio and his family, the immersive show will return to Lightroom in London’s King’s Cross on 9th July 2026, with proceeds donated to the Royal Drawing School, a charity Hockney supported.
The special screenings bring Bigger & Closer back to the venue that was created specifically to present it. Opening in February 2023 after three years of collaboration between Hockney and Lightroom, the show has since welcomed more than 650,000 visitors and continues to tour internationally.
“We are honoured to mark David Hockney’s 89th birthday by welcoming visitors to Lightroom,”
said Richard Slaney, Lightroom CEO.
“David’s importance to Lightroom cannot be understated—our venue was created specifically to present his work, and he worked tirelessly with us for years, eventually completing the show in our venue as the building work was completed around him.
“I learnt so much from him—about process, generosity, attention to detail—but most of all about how to truly look and the joy to be found in looking. We hope that much of this is captured in Bigger & Closer, and are pleased to share it with audiences again for a special evening.”
The decision to support the Royal Drawing School reflects Hockney’s lifelong belief in drawing as a way of understanding the world. His philosophy that drawing “makes you see things clearer” has long been closely aligned with the School’s approach to artistic education.
“We are deeply grateful to Lightroom, David Hockney’s family and Studio for this wonderfully generous tribute,”
said Harry Parker, Director of the Royal Drawing School.
“David Hockney was an unwavering champion of the Royal Drawing School from its earliest days and believed profoundly that drawing is fundamental to the way artists learn to see, think and make. His conviction that drawing sharpens our understanding of the world continues to inspire everything we do.”
Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) takes audiences on a journey through Hockney’s work and his lifelong experiments with ways of seeing. Iconic paintings appear alongside rarely seen works and pieces created specifically for the space, exploring his use of photography, Polaroid collage, iPad drawing, stage design and painting.
Narrated entirely by Hockney, the show unfolds across six themed chapters with a specially composed score by Nico Muhly. Hockney’s voice guides audiences through his experiments with perspective, his description of photography as “drawing with a camera”, the passing of time captured in his Polaroid collages and his attempts to convey the scale of the Grand Canyon through paint.
The journey moves from Los Angeles to Yorkshire and Normandy, with an audio-visual drive through the San Gabriel Mountains and animated recreations of Hockney’s designs for the opera stage.
Directed, written and designed by 59, now part of Journey, Bigger & Closer was the first in Lightroom’s series of original artist-led shows. Its return for Hockney’s birthday brings the work back to the place where it was first completed and shown.
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) returns to Lightroom, London, on
Thursday 9th July 2026 from 7pm. Tickets are £25, with proceeds donated to the Royal Drawing School.
