David Hockney, who has died at the age of 88, was a giant of modern art whose vibrant paintings of California swimming pools, Yorkshire landscapes, and iPad portraits made him one of the most recognisable and beloved British artists of all time. King Charles III called him "a giant of the world of art and painting, a Yorkshireman through and through, and a dear friend and inspiration to so many".
David Hockney was born on 9 July 1937 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, into a working-class family. He rose to prominence in the 1960s after moving to Los Angeles, where he abandoned oil paints for bright acrylics and created his iconic swimming pool series, including the 1967 work A Bigger Splash. Over a seven-decade career, he worked across many mediums: pencil portraits, huge colourful landscapes, watercolours, opera sets, photographic collages, and digital drawings on iPads. He was famous for his striking use of colour and his relentless innovation, always embracing new technology from fax machines to multiple cameras mounted on a Land Rover.
“David Hockney's life, art, and legacy – from Bradford to California, explained for UK readers.”
Hockney's background as a gay man from northern England shaped both his art and his public persona. He was openly homosexual at a time when it was still illegal in the UK, and Dame Tracey Emin described him as "a proud chain-smoking homosexual, who flew the flag higher than any other British artist". He once said: "I prefer living in colour", and his life was a testament to that philosophy. His art celebrated joy, beauty, and the act of looking closely at the world. He argued that art needed three things: the eye, the hand, and the heart – two were not enough.
For UK readers, Hockney's legacy is deeply personal. He changed how we see the British landscape – especially the Yorkshire Wolds, which he painted in huge, vivid canvases. His work also influenced generations of British artists and helped shift perceptions of Britishness itself. His 2018 painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) sold for $90 million (£70 million), then a record for a living artist. His current exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London, A Year in Normandie – a series of 130 iPad paintings made during the 2020 pandemic lockdown – has been described as visually stunning, showing the changing seasons in Normandy. Even in his final years, surrounded by medical apparatus, he continued working, producing recent acrylic paintings and reading about art theory.
Q: What is David Hockney best known for? David Hockney is best known for his vivid, colourful paintings of California swimming pools, such as A Bigger Splash (1967), and for his large-scale landscapes of the Yorkshire Wolds. He also gained attention for his iPad drawings and photographic collages.
Q: Why was David Hockney so important? Hockney was one of the most significant artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, constantly reinventing his style and embracing new technologies. He challenged conventions in art, was openly gay at a time when it was controversial, and his work has influenced countless other artists. Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain, called him "an endlessly inventive artist, with a unique vision of the world".
Q: How did David Hockney die? David Hockney died peacefully at home on 11 June 2026, one month short of his 89th birthday. His publicist confirmed the news, and tributes poured in from King Charles, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and leading figures in the art world.
What happens next is uncertain, but Hockney's legacy is assured. His works are held in major galleries and museums around the world. Details of memorials will be announced in due course. The Serpentine exhibition continues, and his vast body of work – including the 450-piece retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris from 2024 – ensures that his dazzling creativity will be seen and cherished for generations.