When one of David Hockney’s renowned swimming pool artworks fetched a staggering $90.3 million (£70.3 million) in 2013, he ascended to the position of the most valuable contemporary artist globally. Now, an exhibition is set to showcase a collection of his paintings, drawings, and prints—originally sold for mere pounds during the 1960s—brought together for the first time.

John Kasmin, an art dealer who recognized Hockney’s potential in the early 1960s while he was a student at the Royal College of Art (RCA), stated to the Guardian that back then, Hockney’s artworks “rarely exceeded 20 pounds.” In fact, he sold pieces for as little as £5.

Prior to opening his own gallery, Kasmin began exhibiting Hockney’s paintings, prints, and drawings from a back room in a London gallery because his employer did not value them sufficiently to show them.

“However, selling them was not difficult,” Kasmin commented. “He garnered immediate popularity.”

Kasmin encountered Hockney in 1961 when the artist was so financially constrained that he resorted to the RCA’s printmaking department for free supplies.

Recalling that time, the now 90-year-old Kasmin described Hockney as a timid young man: “We connected right away. I’m just three years his senior.”

Kasmin eventually sold Hockney’s drawings for between £18 and £22 and organized his first solo exhibition in 1963—a sellout event with works priced around £300 to £400.

This month, Louis Kasmin, Kasmin’s grandson, is curating an exhibition of Hockney’s early yet lesser-known works. Titled In the Mood for Love: Hockney in London, 1960-63, it is set to open at Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert in London on May 21.

Louis Kasmin remarked, “Many of these [works] have not been publicly displayed in years. Some were acquired in the 1960s and have remained with their owners, while others have circulated privately among collectors and dealers without ever being shown in exhibitions.”

The displayed works, while lesser-known, are nevertheless captivating pieces from this era. For example, we are fortunate to present the print The Hypnotist, the drawing study for the oil piece of The Hypnotist, and a painting entitled Figure Being Hypnotised. All three pieces are connected to one of Hockney’s most celebrated works, currently exhibited at the Fondation Louis Vuitton Paris exhibition, and have never before been shown together.

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Hockney, originally from Bradford, ventured to Los Angeles where he found inspiration in the American dream, particularly through swimming pools and sunshine. His masterpieces include A Bigger Splash, 1967—now housed at Tate Britain—depicting a shimmering turquoise pool beneath California’s radiant sky.

John Kasmin recalled that the painting was initially sold for approximately £300, speculating that it could be worth £100 million today.

Supported by the David Hockney Foundation, the exhibition at Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert aims to delve into “the creation of Hockney, both as an artist and as a person.”

The exhibition catalogue highlights that these early works, leading up to his move to the US at the close of 1963, signify a pivotal moment in Hockney’s artistic journey, bridging traditional figuration and the innovative experimentation of the 1960s: “These visuals are saturated with expressive figures, often illustrating personal moments from his life—portraits of friends, lovers, and himself. Meanwhile, his early utilization of vibrant, flat colors and novel compositions foreshadowed the path he would later pursue with his iconic California landscapes and swimming pool series.”

Among the featured paintings is Two Friends (in a Cul de Sac), 1963, showcasing two nude men and expressing Hockney’s exploration of his sexuality during a time when homosexuality was still illegal in Britain. Louis Kasmin noted, “Many of them have annotated backs indicating prices like ‘£8’, ‘£12’, or ‘£17’.”

He added, “The pieces we’ve gathered have never really been exhibited side by side… Hockney’s exhibitions usually showcase a notable piece or two from this time, but this is not a complete survey.”