‘Why do you want to paint my portrait?’ Ed Sheeran asked David Hockney. The artist looked up from his easel, lifted the cigarette from his lips and uttered gently ‘it’s because I’m in love with the shape of you’. An awkward silence filled the air. ‘Although my heart is falling too,’ he continued, ‘I’m in love with your body’.
That’s probably what happened. We’re just guessing here. But either way, you’ll be able to see the result of the ginger megastar’s encounter with the great British artist at Annely Juda Fine Art at the end of February, which is nice. There’ll be other portraits on show too, but who cares. Ed Sheeran by Hockney. What a time to be alive.