Percy may now be one of the most famous cats in art but the feline’s actual name was Blanche. The pet belonged to Hockney’s close friends, the fashion designer Ossie Clark and textile designer Celia Birtwell. This was painted in their flat in Notting Hill Gate. Clark and Birtwell were big names in London fashion and Hockney was best man at their wedding, painting this shortly after. He intentionally swapped wedding portrait conventions, seating the husband while the wife stands upright. Blanche became Percy in the title because Hockney liked the rhythm. Via The Guardian.