See Now: David Hockney at Fondation Louis Vuitton

On now through August 31, David Hockney 25 is the largest exposition of the British artist’s work to date, showcasing over 400 paintings, drawings, and digital works. Transporting visitors from LA to London, Normandy to New York, and spanning 70 years of Hockney’s work, this must-see retrospective invites visitors into his world of whimsy, joy, and wit.

Co-curated by the artist, the show currently occupies all four floors of the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Located adjacent to the Jardin d’Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne, the setting mirrors Hockney’s sensibilities — his playfulness, use of vibrant colors, and frequent references to the natural world feel at home here.

The arc of the show begins in 1955, with a small portrait of Hockney’s father, and ends with an immersive opera experience inspired by his collaborations with the Metropolitan Opera, among others. In between, visitors can tour rooms devoted to Hockney’s early work (don’t miss his mysterious, Lynchian painting The Hypnotist), his later LA period, and a wonderful collection of watercolors depicting country life in East Yorkshire. 

Hockney experiments with applying new technologies to landscape and portraiture in a section dedicated to his more recent work, and reserves space for a collection of paintings inspired by the masters, reimagined with both reverence and a sense of humor. A series of iPad drawings fell flat in comparison to the rest of the show, though I was consoled by the Moon Room, the result of Hockney’s protracted meditation on the moon. Evoking the more mysterious and mystical aspects of the night, he’s created a distinct atmosphere with these paintings, a kind of lunar pull. The digital medium is also better suited here, if only for its utility — apparently the iPad’s artificial light facilitated Hockney’s capture of the night sky. 

The highlight is the grand finale, an immersive reinterpretation of Hockney’s opera sets. Like a portal into Hockney’s imagination, the space resembles something between a child’s bedroom and a midcentury den in Palm Springs. Music by Ravel, Satie, and Stravinsky, voiceover by the artist, and floor to ceiling projections of his sets for various productions coalesce into the ultimate expression of Hockney’s aesthetic. The result was collective enchantment, with visitors lounging on floor pillows in awe, as if camping out at the opera.  

For an alternative to a more formal meal at le Frank, the museum’s restaurant, opt for the airstream snack truck parked outside. Here you can rub elbows with a gilded Murakami daisy sculpture and a peacock or two wandering by. For visitors sensitive to air conditioning, consider dressing in layers — the galleries are set to glacial, to the point of distraction. Unusually strict security measures were also distracting, including loud sensors on a hairtrigger and a particularly aggressive cast of guards. So theatrical was the effect it could have been an intentional commentary on art, commerce and access, ironic given the LVMH-owned venue. 

DETAILS

David Hockney 25 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton

Until August 31st, 2025 

8, Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, Bois de Boulogne, 16th 

Open Wednesday through Monday (Closed Tuesdays) 11 am – 8 pm 

Tickets are 16 euro, 10 for students, and 32 for families 

Tickets also grant visitors access to the Jardin d’Acclimatation amusement park