Specsavers savagely mock Sadiq Khan for praising David Hockney’s ‘awful’ Tube artwork
"I genuinely thought a child had done it," said one critic
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Wiki/Twitter
In the most surreal news of the week, a Specsavers spokesperson has epically dragged Sadiq Khan over his praise of David Hockney’s new London Tube artwork.
Revealed this week, 83-year-old Hockney’s Picadilly Circus artwork was commissioned as part of the recently-reelected London Mayor’s £7million #LetsDoLondon campaign.
Hockney is best known by LGBTQs for his homoerotic pieces, such as 1972’s mysterious Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), as well as his elaborate landscapes.
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However, his latest computer-generated designs mark quite the departure, favouring a minimalist style, acid bright colours and squiggly lines.
“See me”
Khan shared Hockney’s latest work on Twitter on Monday, along with the caption: “Brilliant work from David Hockney in Piccadilly – the first of a series of major art projects we’ve commissioned as part of our brand new #LetsDoLondon campaign. Lots more to come very soon! #DavidHockney.”
Khan’s tweet, and indeed Hockney’s work, did not go down on social media, with a tweet on the Specsavers account leading the charge.
See me
— Specsavers (@Specsavers) May 11, 2021
“See me,” it reads, seemingly calling Khan’s eyesight into question and promptly amassing 8.5k retweets and 6.6k likes and counting.
Burn!
Another critic branded the work “awful” as a third added: “I genuinely thought a child had done it.”
A fourth Twitter critic added: “Seriously!? You didn’t think a bit outside the ‘let’s get a famous modern artist to do some jazzy underground signs’ BOX – when many new young London-based artists have suffered during Covid & the lockdowns & would benefit from exposure of their art. Incredibly unimaginative!”
Said a fifth: “As the newly elected mayor, if taxpayers paid for this, I hope they remind you of it every time you say there’s no money for crime prevention, roads, housing etc….”
A sixth added: “It looks awful […] to think of all the struggling local artists that could have really done something great with that commission.”
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