British Artist David Hockney Dies at 88

David Hockney, the British painter known for his vibrant portraits and sunny compositions of everyday life, has passed away at 88 in his home on June 11, just one month before his 89th birthday.

Hockney was regarded as one of the most beloved artists of the modern pop-art era, with a legacy defined by constant experimentation. He believed that art could change the world, a way to realize all that’s beautiful, thrilling, and mysterious, even in darkness.

Born in Bradford, UK in 1937, Hockney trained at the Bradford School of Art, and later the Royal College of Art in London. Early on, he established himself at the vanguard of Britain’s new artistic generation through his singular style, moving from abstract expressionism to figurative, linear mark-making.

In the 60s, he moved to Los Angeles and, inspired by the West Coast charm, produced some of his most iconic works during this period, such as “A Bigger Splash” and “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures).”

Beyond his pool paintings, Hockney had a way of freezing a moment and bringing attention to the small wonders of the everyday. He came out as gay in his early 20s, when homosexuality was still illegal in England, and used his art as a way to explore queerness and sexuality through mundane snapshots of domestic life.

While celebrated for his traditional portraits and landscapes, his oeuvre spanned photography, printmaking, set design, collage, and even into his 80s carried his pioneering spirit into digital art in his series of iPad drawings created through the end of his life.

News about the artist’s passing broke via his longtime publicist, Erica Bolton, who wrote: “David Hockney’s enduring legacy reflects his underlying enthusiasm for life, his outstanding sense of humor, his immense generosity, and his investigative curiosity encapsulated by his signature phrase, ‘Love Life.’”