Celebrated British artist David Hockney dies aged 88

Summary

David Hockney has died at the age of 88, his publicist says, just shy of his 89th birthday - see his life in pictures
Hockney's essence was joy, writes BBC culture editor Katie Razzall. He taught us to celebrate the beauty of being alive - and his works live on
The British artist is one of the most influential of the modern era and he was one of the leaders of the 1960s pop art movement
In 2018, one of his swimming pool paintings, 'Portrait of an Artist', sold for nearly £70 million at auction - a record for a living artist
Hockney's depictions of gay domestic life came when homosexual relationships were still criminalised - making it "nothing short of revolutionary", our LGBT and identities reporter notes

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Live Reporting

Edited by Cachella Smith and Craig Hoyle

Hockney was 'star student' at art school - but did things his own waypublished at 11:15 BST 12 June
Sam Woodhouse
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Hockney, pictured at work in the 1960s, spent long hours in the studio and was often haunted by the feeling that he wasn't getting enough done
Hockney studied at the Royal College of Art in London - but very much did things his own way.
His classmate, the American artist RB Kitaj, told him to ignore everyone else and simply paint things he loved. "It was the best advice I ever had," he said.
What interested him was politics, literature and exploring his homosexuality. So one portrait showed himself in an act of love with the American poet, Walt Whitman.
Hockney was the college's star student but still gloriously pig-headed. David refused to write the one essay required to graduate, and so failed his finals.
The resulting outcry forced the Royal College to back down. It gave him his degree and even awarded him its prestigious Gold Medal.
- David Hockney: Bradford's artistic genius who painted the things he loved
Hockney leaves behind a long-term partner and two brotherspublished at 11:13 BST 12 June

David Hockney is survived by his partner Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima.
He also leaves behind two brothers - Phillip and John - as well as a number of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Hockney's publicist, Erica Bolton, specifically mentions his great-nephew Richard, who acted as his studio assistant towards the end of his life.

Hockney's early art was influenced by growing up in wartime Britainpublished at 11:10 BST 12 June

David Hockney was born on 9 July 1937.
His father, Kenneth, was a conscientious objector who detested social injustice, nuclear weapons and smoking in equal measure.
His mother, Laura, was the backbone of the family: strong-willed and devoutly Methodist.
David was one five children; during bombing raids, they hid under the stairs at their home in Bradford clutching bibles. In 1940, one explosion flattened the street.
The wartime shortage of paper restricted his early artistic efforts to drawing on the kitchen floor and hymn books in church.
Hockney's legacy reflects his 'enthusiasm for life' - publicistpublished at 11:08 BST 12 June

Image source, WPA Pool/Getty Images
We can now bring you some more from Hockney's publicist, who describes how his "enduring legacy reflects his underlying enthusiasm for life".
Erica Bolton notes some of the honours he received throughout his career, including being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1997 and to the Order of Merit in 2012.
She also mentions the periods of time he spent living in London and in Los Angeles - the scenes from which inspired a number of his works.
Bolton adds that Hockney is "considered one of the most influential and defining figures in contemporary art".

David Hockney: 'A genius in practically every medium'published at 11:01 BST 12 June
Sam Woodhouse
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images
David Hockney, who has died aged 88, was Britain's favourite artist - and a man of trenchant views, expressed in the broadest of Yorkshire vowels.
A genius in practically every medium, he worked with paint, photographs and iPads. He did etchings, lithographs, even stained glass windows - equally at home working with the grandeur of opera design and the intimacy of pen and ink.
A peroxide Bradford blond with round glasses and cheese-cutter hat, he set the art world alight in the 1960s, and packed out art galleries more than half a century later.
In 2018, one of his swimming pool paintings sold for nearly £70 million at auction - a record for a living artist. But Hockney was surprised at the public enthusiasm for his work.
He had simply followed one rule: "Paint the things you love".
- David Hockney obituary: Bradford's artistic genius who painted the things he loved
Hockney 'passed away peacefully at home' - publicistpublished at 10:56 BST 12 June

We can now share this statement from David Hockney's publicist, Erica Bolton:
"The celebrated British artist David Hockney, one of the most important figures in contemporary art in both the 20th and 21st centuries, passed away peacefully at home on 11 June 2026, one month short of his 89th birthday."

David Hockney dies age 88published at 10:47 BST 12 June
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Influential artist David Hockney has died at age 88, his publicist says.
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