The Queen's Window by David Hockney Book

The Queen’s Window was designed by renowned artist David Hockney for Westminster Abbey and unveiled in autumn 2018. In an extended conversation between Hockney and fellow-artist Tacita Dean recorded specifically for this publication, the artist reflects on his approach to the design and his use of colour, as well as on the underlying themes that the window represents.

The work was commissioned in autumn 2016 by the Dean of Westminster, The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, to celebrate the reign of Queen Elizabeth II as England’s longest-serving monarch. The resulting design is a vibrantly coloured and quintessentially English country scene featuring a Yorkshire landscape with the hawthorn blossom that Hockney loves, reflecting his sense of The Queen’s own abiding delight in the countryside. The artist himself describes it as a ‘celebration’.

The Queen’s Window by David Hockney Westminster Abbey follows the process of making the window from design to installation, illustrating traditional glass-making techniques that have been in use since the Middle Ages. It provides detail on the conception, consultation and creation, from initial commission and choice of subject; through colour selection, glass-making and cutting, leading and finishing; to the final dedication ceremony only two years after the initial commission. The text also draws on the knowledge and expertise of Barley Studio, makers of the window, and is richly illustrated with photography generously supplied by both Hockney Studio and Barley Studio, as well as by Westminster Abbey.

• Pages: 48.