Main content

Celia Birtwell - Hockney's most famous muse
The woman David Hockney has sketched and painted over and over again.
David Hockney loves to paint his friends, people he works with, celebrities like Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars.
But there is one woman he has sketched and painted over and over again, Celia Birtwell. She is a textile and fashion designer, famous for her pre-Raphaelite hair and brightly coloured dresses.
Two exhibitions of Hockney's portraits have just opened in London. Martha Kearney went to Annely Juda Fine Art with Celia Birtwell and her granddaughter Scarlett Clark who has also been painted by Hockney. Martha was shown round by Nina Fellman, director of the gallery.
Podcast
-
Best of Today
Listen to selected highlights from the Today programme.