David Hockney, O.M., C.H., R.A. (b. 1937)

Peter Langan spent much of the summer of 1975 in France.
Through the sculptor, Michael Goldman, Langan met the wine merchant Jean-Marc Moussis who told him of his exclusive access to a small vineyard that produced a wonderful white wine. Langan, looking for a good house white for Odin's felt that this met his requirements and so the negotiations for the single bargain began. Despite Langan speaking no French and Moussis no English a deal was struck.

It was only when the first consignment arrived at Customs that Langan realised that rather than the 3,000 bottles that he had thought he had purchased he had actually bought 30,000. Worse still, the wine did not travel or last well and became so sweet that it could only be sold as a dessert wine.

Langan had to spend £20,000 more than he had anticipated and only managed to stop Odin's going bankrupt by selling a number of pictures from his collection.

This work was used on the menu for David Hockney's Glyndebourne banquet in 1975 (see lot 9)