Highgate Ponds, by Howard Hodgkin, 1989

London Underground commissioned this poster in 1989 as part of 'Art on the Underground'. The campaign was launched in 1986 to encourage an artistic rather than a commercial approach to poster design. The striking design by Howard Hodgkin was the first in the series to take the image right to the borders. Similarly, Hodgkin often painted over the frame of his pictures. Hodgkin's bold compositions are never quite abstract. He created identifiable textures and used representational colour to construct what he described as 'representational pictures of emotional situations'. In this painting, which promotes Highgate Ponds, hints of the water's surface, lily pads, blue skies and even a Union Jack, convey a nostalgic memory of the British outdoors.

Howard Hodgkin designed posters for London Transport in 1991.

Howard Hodgkin studied first at Camberwell in 1949-1950 and then the Bath Academy of Art 1950-1954 under Clifford Ellis. He taught at Charterhouse School 1954-6 and then at Bath Academy of Art 1956-1966 and then for 6 years At Chelsea School of Art. Hodgkin's first exhibition was in 1962, but it was a decade later that he first received critical attention. In 1978 Hodgkin was made a Trustee of the National Gallery, and in 1981 his work was selected by the Royal Academy of Arts for an exhibition which was toured to several countries. This and other exhibitions gave Hodgkin an international reputation. In 1985 Hodgkin won the Turner Prize. Hodgkin was awarded a CBE in 1977 and knighted in 1992. He has designed stamps, ballet sets, book covers and the exterior of London's IMAX cinema. His work is held by many galleries including the Tate Gallery, V&A, Museum of Modern Art, New York and Southampton City Art Gallery.

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