James Cahill explores David Hockney’s relationship with Betty Freeman

Critic and novelist James Cahill explores the friendship between artist David Hockney and arts patron Betty Freeman in his new book, The Beverly Hills Housewife: Hockney’s Californian Muse and the World Beyond the Pool.

Cahill uses Hockney’s 1966 painting, Beverly Hills Housewife, to examine the lives of the two individuals. The portrait depicts Freeman on her garden patio in front of a modernist house in Los Angeles.

The artwork includes various status symbols, such as a sculpture by William Turnbull and a lounge designed by Le Corbusier. The book provides a snapshot of Los Angeles culture during the 1960s. Cahill combines formal analysis of the painting with historical stories to describe how both people helped shape the cultural landscape of the region. The book is scheduled for release in 2026.