Young contemporaries" student exhibition at the RBA Galleries in London at which David Hockney exhibits his four "Demonstrations of Versatility" (1961): A Grand Procession of Dignitaries in the Semi-Egyptian Style, Swiss Landscape in a Scenic Style (retitled Flight into Italy - Swiss LandscapeArchived 2016-10-24 at the Wayback Machine), Tea Painting in an Illusionistic Style and Figure in a Flat Style.[1] Hockney first meets Patrick Procktor at this exhibition and, with Maurice Agis, John Bowstead and Peter Phillips, Hockney's work is selected for a further exhibition at the ICA
May–June – David Smith creates the Voltri series of abstract sculptures (e.g. Voltri XV) in Italy.
John Hutton
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late June – Bert Stern begins shooting The Last Sitting in New York City, the last series of photographs taken of Marilyn Monroe, originally for Vogue magazine; later published as a book.
December 14 – Leonardo da Vinci's early 16th-century painting the Mona Lisa is assessed for insurance purposes at US$100 million before touring the United States for several months, the highest insurance value for a painting in history. However, the Louvre, its owner, chooses to spend the money that would have been spent on the insurance premium on security instead.
