David Hockney, 30th January, The First One
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Main reasons to invest
Return potential: An investment of €500 could reach an estimated value of €1,261 in 4 years.
Cost-to-return ratio: After deducting 3.1% in annual total costs, your net return could reach 26.0% per year.
Institutional Momentum & Cultural Relevance: A signed iPad work by David Hockney, marking a defining moment in digital art, supported by strong auction momentum, blue-chip status, and increasing institutional interest.
Description
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Investment Horizon | 2-4 Years (target exit 2028–2030) |
| Potential Net ROI p.a. (Balanced) | 26.0% p.a. |
| Potential Net ROI p.a. (Ambitious) | 30.9% p.a. |
| Price Verification (Pre-Fees) | -4.7% vs. market value |
| Price Verification (After Fees) | 7% vs. market value |
| Sharpe Ratio | 0.92 (vs. SMI: 0.61) |
| Value at Risk (VaR) | 93.2% probability to exceed invested capital after 4 years |
| Standard Deviation | 29.4% |
| Risk Rating | B (8.4/10 — Moderate Risk-Adjusted Profile) |
- 2–4 year horizon: Exit strategy targets peak collector demand cycles between 2028–2030.
- 26.0% balanced ROI: Based on a 75% probability of achieving historical CAGR (09/2021–05/2025) derived from comparable auction data.
- 30.9% ambitious ROI: Reflects full realization of historical CAGR supported by strong digital-art market momentum.
- -4.7% entry discount (pre-fees): Asset acquired below verified market valuation, enhancing downside protection.
- Sharpe ratio 0.92: Indicates strong risk-adjusted performance significantly above SMI benchmark levels.
- 93.2% VaR protection: High statistical probability that investment value exceeds initial capital after four years.
- Standard deviation 29.4%: Controlled volatility based on comparable athlete collectible datasets.
- Risk rating “B”: Balance between return potential, pricing advantage, and historical stability.
Digital artworks by blue-chip contemporary artists represent a rapidly institutionalizing segment of the art market. As museums and collectors increasingly recognize digitally created works as historically significant mediums, scarcity combined with technological innovation creates a powerful long-term demand driver. These assets provide diversification beyond traditional art categories while benefiting from cultural relevance and evolving collector preferences.
30th January 2021, The First One stands as a landmark example of David Hockney’s pioneering iPad practice-an artistic shift that has redefined the boundaries of contemporary image-making. Created using the Brushes app, the work reflects Hockney’s lifelong commitment to innovation, translating traditional painterly concerns into a digital medium with remarkable immediacy. As early and refined examples of this practice gain institutional recognition, iPad works such as this are increasingly viewed as historically significant within the evolving fine art canon.
Executed during winter at the artist’s Normandy residence, the composition depicts a sparse bouquet set against a deep maroon ground, part of the celebrated 20 Flowers and Some Bigger Pictures series. Despite the season’s dormancy, the work radiates colour and vitality-capturing themes of renewal, persistence, and quiet optimism. While digitally produced, it retains a tactile sensitivity to form, light, and spatial balance, underscoring Hockney’s enduring mastery across mediums.
As a blue-chip artist with sustained global demand, Hockney’s market continues to show depth across prints and digital works alike. Auction turnover for his prints has risen from approximately £1.66 million in 2015 to £9.2 million in 2024, with dedicated sales-such as Sotheby’s 2025 iPad auction achieving £6.2 million-highlighting growing collector appetite. With a major iPad-focused exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in 2026, this work sits at the intersection of cultural relevance and strong market momentum.
David Hockney’s iPad drawing embodies artistic innovation, institutional recognition, and cultural transition into the digital age. Combining blue-chip credibility with historical significance, the work captures a defining evolution in contemporary art, offering collectors a rare opportunity to own a piece that bridges tradition, technology, and enduring creative relevance.
Expert
Founded in Singapore in 1994, Opera Gallery has forged, over its 30 years, a network of 16 galleries worldwide including London, Paris, New York, Geneva, Hong Kong, and Seoul, establishing itself as one of the leading global players within the international art market. Headed by Gilles Dyan, Opera Gallery specialises in post-war French art, and in Modern and Contemporary European, American, and Asian art. In addition, the gallery represents international emerging artists such as Andy Denzler, Anthony James and Gustavo Nazareno. and more established contemporary artists such as Ron Arad, Manolo Valdés, and Anselm Reyle.
