Only two people attended David Hockney’s funeral last week – his partner Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima and his great-nephew Richard Hockney – exactly as the 88-year-old artist had instructed before his death at his London home on 11 June.
The private ceremony took place without public notice, a deliberate choice by a man who once told his local newspaper that he did not “care for a fuss” and did not value prizes. In a 2003 interview with the Bradford Telegraph & Argus, Hockney explained: “I value my friends.”
“David Hockney's funeral held privately with only his partner and great-nephew, per his wishes.”
His publicist, Erica Bolton, confirmed the details after being “overwhelmed” by tributes from around the world. “It was David’s clear wish that his funeral should be attended only by his partner, JP, and his great-nephew Richard,” she said, adding that their privacy had been respected.
Hockney’s death prompted an outpouring from the highest levels. King Charles said he and Queen Camilla were “greatly saddened” to learn of the loss of “a giant of the world of art and painting, a Yorkshireman through and through, and a dear friend and inspiration to so many”. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called him “one of Britain’s most celebrated artists”. Artist Dame Tracey Emin described him as “a great artist and a wonderful man, who with the power of art changed the perception of Britishness. A proud chain-smoking homosexual, who flew the flag higher than any other British artist.”
Bolton also announced that, in accordance with Hockney’s wishes, the first memorial service celebrating his life will be held in London in spring 2027, followed by further memorials in Yorkshire, Paris and Los Angeles – cities he had called home. Most of the works from his private collection will be given to foundations and public institutions around the world “in furtherance of his legacy”.
Hockney, a defining figure of the 1960s pop art movement, created some of the most recognisable images of the 20th century – from The Splash and A Bigger Splash to Portrait Of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures), which sold for nearly £70m at auction in 2018, a record for a living artist. In later years he embraced iPad art and painted landscapes of his native Yorkshire and sun-drenched Los Angeles swimming pools.
A free exhibition of his work, David Hockney: A Year in Normandie, is currently on show at the Serpentine Galleries in London until August. Next year, Tate Modern and Tate Britain will stage exhibitions to mark what would have been his 90th birthday.
Bolton said the details of the funeral had not been disclosed earlier “in the interest of his loved ones’ privacy”. Now, with the private ceremony over, the focus turns to how a public that adored him will say goodbye.