ONE of the most influential artists of modern times is to be a patron of the new drawing studio planned for the Arts University Bournemouth.

David Hockney is backing the university’s appeal to raise up to £1million towards the planned studio at the Wallisdown campus.

He was announced as a patron during a recent event at the university to showcase student drawings alongside a viewing of the Jerwood Drawing Prize.

Mr Hockney, who has been a major figure in British art since the 1960s and is now based in the US, has long argued for an emphasis on drawing skills in art.

He said of the studio: “You know I believe it is always back to the drawing board. If you want to make a new kind of picture, like the caveman, it still has to be drawn.”

Professor Stuart Bartholomew, principal and vice-chancellor of the Arts University Bournemouth, said: “We are extremely privileged to have the esteemed David Hockney as our patron of the new Drawing Studio; his relevance to the building is undeniable as he intrinsically understands the importance it will have for our students.

“Our intention is to provide students with a new space in which drawing can be taught and practised. We are also keen to reassert the centrality of drawing to the courses we offer.”

The studio has been designed by architect Sir Peter Cook, who studied architecture at the institution in the 1950s.

It would be his only building in the UK – and the university said it would therefore be an “iconic” project for him.

A statement added: “The condition of the room will celebrate four aspects of light – central themes in looking and drawing to include a large north-light in the studio tradition, a rear clerestory that throws a softer light back from the rear wall, a discreet and even softer light that filters from beneath the bench on the east side and, finally, a graded wash of light that comes along the curve of the entrance porte clochere via the glass entrance door.”

Anyone interested in sponsorship or donations should contact Sheila Hall at Arts University Bournemouth on shall@aub.ac.uk or 01202 363203.