David Hockney, the iconic British contemporary artist often described as Britain's greatest artist, has died at the age of 88. His publicist confirmed the news on Friday, noting he passed away on June 11. The Bradford-born painter was a defining and influential figure in 20th and 21st-century art.
A superstar of the Pop art movement in the 1960s, Hockney straddled the line between pop art and hyperrealism. He became internationally renowned for his vivid use of color and simplified forms, particularly in his depictions of Southern California. His work created a dreamlike world of patterned light bouncing off water and windows, often utilizing bright acrylics.
He is perhaps best known for his series of swimming pool paintings, including A Bigger Splash and Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures). These works, which depicted hedonistic scenes of love, lust, and loss under sun-soaked skies, helped define the Los Angeles aesthetic and earned him the mantle of one of the fathers of British pop art.
An innovative artist, Hockney worked across various mediums, including photography, stage design, and printmaking, and frequently used new technologies as sources of inspiration. Throughout his life, he lived in London, Southern California, and Normandy, where he resided from 2019 to 2023.
The director of Tate Britain stated that the loss to the art world is immense. Hockney, the flamboyant Yorkshireman who defiantly refused to give up smoking, is remembered for having caught the look of the modern world.