LONDON.- Christie’s Prints & Multiples auction includes a focus on two groups of work: David Hockney as Printmaker, featuring 30 prints charting over three decades of his extensive engagement with print media. The second group celebrates the counter-cultural spirit of American Post-War artists from the 1960’s to the present day, and includes Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, , Jeff Koons, Glenn Ligon, Bruce Nauman, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, Frank Stella, James Turrell, Andy Warhol and Christopher Wool. Prices in the sale range from £3,000-150,000, providing an opportunity for collectors of every level to purchase work by leading artists.

A highlight is David Hockney's Fish and Chip Shop (1954, estimate: £6,000-8,000), which was gifted by the artist to the proprietors of his local chippy, The Sea Catch, Eccleshill, West Yorkshire, while Hockney was studying at Bradford School of Art. This evocative work depicts the owners Hayden and Janet Smith at work in their fish and chip shop with Hockney leaning against the counter in conversation. Whilst studying at art school Hockney would visit late in the evening for any fish and chips that were available and as a token of appreciation the artist presented the couple with the Fish and Chip Shop in 1954. The print was displayed in The Sea Catch for many years until its closure around 1970 and then passed down through the family to the present owner. Additional works include Cleanliness is Next to Godliness (1964, estimate: £4,000-6,000), Rue de Seine (1971, estimate: £10-15,000), Afternoon Swimming (1980, estimate: £40,000-60,000), Walking Past Two Chairs (1984-86, estimate: £25,000-35,000) and Going Around (1993, estimate: £10-15,000).

Post-War American art is represented by over 70 prints by pioneering names such as Andy Warhol, whose now iconic Soup Can (1968, estimate: £8-12,000) is offered alongside Ed Ruscha’s Hollywood (1968, estimate: £40-60,000), Frank Stella’s Squid (1989, estimate: £15-20,000) and Roy Lichtenstein’s Sweet Dreams (1965, estimate: £80-120,000). This selection is presented to coincide with the British Museum’s forthcoming exhibition ‘The American Dream: Pop to Present’. The show celebrates the range of subject matter explored by artists in the USA over the last 60 years as they employed techniques that allowed greater access to their art.

The auction will also showcase Old Master & 19th Century, Modern and Contemporary prints, with a focus on German Expressionists. Featured artists include Otto Dix, Jean Dubuffet, Albrecht Dürer, Conrad Felixmüller, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt van Rijn and J.A.M. Whistler.