(Image: Victoria Jones/PA Wire)
A portrait painted by David Hockney while he was a pupil at Bradford Grammar School could be one of the earliest known works by the world-famous artist, according to an Antiques Roadshow expert.
The painting featured in the BBC programme's visit to Souter Lighthouse in the North East, where art specialist Charlotte Riordan described it as "possibly the earliest known portrait by David Hockney".
The work depicts one of Hockney's friends from Bradford Grammar School and was brought to the show by the friend's daughter. The portrait has remained in the same family ever since it was painted when Hockney was just 12 years old.
Viewers were told the sitter's mother, who worked as an antique dealer, decided to keep the painting after recognising there was something special about it.
'He already had a lot of skill'
Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus after the programme aired, Ms Riordan said the portrait already displayed many of the qualities that would later define Hockney's work.
She said: "I think you can definitely see that even at the age of 12, he already had a lot of skill, a lot of individuality about him... there's just a lot of personality there in his work, which is, I think, the reason why the boy in the picture's mum decided to keep it.
Ms Riordan added: "She was an antique dealer, so she obviously had a good eye and thought there was something about this. They kept it all these years, which is amazing."
The painting has remained in the same family for decades, with the owner revealing on the programme that her father and Hockney were members of an art club together while at school.
Why the portrait is so significant
The portrait shows the sitter wearing a Bradford Grammar School tie and is painted on brown school paper using what Ms Riordan believes were poster paints.
While she described it as artistic "juvenilia", Ms Riordan said the picture provides a fascinating glimpse of the young artist before he developed into one of Britain's most celebrated painters.
"What strikes me about this one is that his work and technique almost returned to something more akin to where he set out as this grammar school boy," she said.
"Particularly if you look at the paintings he became very famous for in the latter years of his career, it's all about this kind of simple mark-making.
Ms Riordan explained: "It's almost like he returned to trying to capture something of that later on, which is what's so charming about this work."
Ms Riordan said she was also struck by the personal nature of the portrait.
She said: "There's something of a self-portrait in it, I think, as well. You can almost sort of see him in it in a funny way, which I liked."
Letter from Hockney confirms authenticity
The owner revealed during the programme that she wrote to Hockney in 2001 while he was living in Los Angeles.
The artist replied, confirming he remembered painting the portrait, providing a valuable piece of provenance for the work.
Ms Riordan told viewers the painting was "arguably a museum piece" because of its importance within the story of Hockney's career.
While she suggested a cautious auction estimate of £10,000 to £20,000, she said she believed the portrait could ultimately prove to be a six-figure work worth more than £100,000.
The family, however, said they have no plans to sell it.
In yesterday's airing of Antiques Roadshow, the owner told the programme that the painting "means so much" to the family and remains a treasured reminder of her father, who died in January 2025.
'Bradford must be very proud of Hockney'
Reflecting on the artist's legacy after the programme aired, Ms Riordan highlighted Hockney's enduring connection to his hometown.
She said: "Bradford must be very proud of Hockney."
The episode, first broadcast on September 27 and now available on BBC iPlayer.