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The Jewish friendship that let David Hockney experience 'dangerous perfection'

JL;DR SUMMARY David Hockney, the renowned British painter who passed away at 88, is celebrated for his vibrant use of color, yet one of his most moving pieces is a black-and-white drawing featuring his close Jewish friend, artist R.B. Kitaj. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CultureFriendshipIntrospectionArtEmotionDavid HockneyGay IdentityR.B. KitajRoyal College Of ArtSandra Fisher

Places mentioned

Los Angeles, California, United States
"David Hockney in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s."
Vienna, Austria
"Kitaj, one of Hockneys dearest friends, sitting on a bench outside an art school in Vienna."

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Cairo Item ID 84755
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-06-13 05:31:11 UTC
Curated 2026-06-13 08:31:02 UTC