Two years ago, when the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris approached David Hockney about staging a blockbuster retrospective of his work, he assumed he would not be around to see it open.

“Even last year, I thought I wouldn’t be here,” Hockney, now 87 and wheelchair-bound, said in a recent video interview. “But I still am,” he added, with satisfaction.

A few weeks before the opening of the show — called “David Hockney 25,” and set to be one of the most talked-about European art shows of the spring — Hockney was in his London studio, wearing a mint green cardigan and canary yellow glasses that perfectly matched his tie.

When he lit a cigarette, a nurse in blue scrubs appeared over his shoulder, peering at Hockney with apparent concern. But by staying silent, the nurse respected the buttons that both he and Hockney wore, reading “End Bossiness Soon.” The artist made those after the British government banned smoking in public spaces in 2007.

These days, Hockney has 24-hour medical care, and ensuring that he will be well enough to go to Paris for the exhibition opening has been a priority for his team. He planned to travel by car, with his dachshund, Tess; his doctor would travel separately, he said.

“I am looking forward to it, because it is the largest exhibition I’ve ever had. Which it should be,” Hockney said with a wry smile. “Shouldn’t it, really?”