David Hockney, celebrated artist known for his depictions of Los Angeles’ sunlit pools, has passed away at the age of 88. His vibrant works became emblematic of 20th-century art, capturing the essence of Southern California’s suburban landscapes.
Originally from the north of England, Hockney spent much of his life in California, where the radiant scenery significantly influenced his art. His paintings, often featuring shimmering pools and sun-drenched views, reflect the unique light and atmosphere of the region.
In his later years, Hockney returned to Europe. There, he found fresh inspiration in the picturesque landscapes of his native Yorkshire and the serene fields and trees of Normandy, France. These environments provided a new canvas for his evolving artistic expression.
Hockney’s work earned him a place among the United Kingdom’s most cherished artists, with his pieces fetching record prices at auctions worldwide. His enduring appeal and influence are a testament to his innovative spirit and the timeless quality of his art.
Historian Simon Schama noted, “The popularity and durability of David Hockney’s art, through all his shape-shifts and restlessly inventive experiments, are really no mystery.” Hockney’s ability to continually reinvent his work while maintaining an engaging style has solidified his legacy in the art world.
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“His work is admired – loved is not too strong a word – by the millions who, worldwide, flock to see it because it presupposes an expectation of pleasure,” Schama wrote in an essay accompanying a 2025 Hockney exhibition in Paris.
Hockney’s publicist, Erica Bolton, says he died on Thursday, a few weeks short of his 89th birthday.
With his trademark round glasses and bleached-blond hair, Hockney was a well-known figure in the swinging British and American art scenes of the 1960s, even before he reached the age of 30.
His paintings were just as distinctive, many of them creating a dreamlike world of patterned light bouncing off water and windows, and human forms rendered in flattened, simplified shapes in matte acrylic paint.
“I’m excited every day,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1979.
“London has lots of dreary parts but I never find anything dreary in Los Angeles.”
Hockney was born July 9, 1937, in Bradford, a large industrial city whose chief export was woollen textiles.
He spent his first two decades there before going to London’s Royal College of Art.
He made an impact even before his graduation, and art dealer John Kasmin took him into his stable of artists in 1961.
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