David Hockney, the influential British artist whose sun-drenched depictions of swimming pools in Los Angeles became iconic images of 20th-century art, died Thursday. His publicist confirmed his death, stating he was 88 and had passed away a few weeks shy of his 89th birthday.
Hockney, known for his signature round glasses and bleached-blond hair, was a prominent figure in the art scenes of both Britain and America during the 1960s. His distinctive style often featured flattened, simplified forms rendered in matte acrylic paint, capturing the patterned light on water and windows.
Born in Bradford, England, Hockney spent a significant portion of his career in Southern California before returning to Europe, drawing inspiration from the landscapes of Yorkshire and Normandy. His work achieved significant commercial success, with his paintings fetching record prices at auction.
"The popularity and durability of David Hockney’s art, through all his shape-shifts and restlessly inventive experiments, are really no mystery," said historian Simon Schama. "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."
Hockney's artistic influences were diverse, encompassing Renaissance portraitists, J.M.W. Turner, Pablo Picasso, and American pop art. His 1963-64 update on William Hogarth's "A Rake's Progress" series garnered attention for its contemporary interpretation, marrying text and imagery.
As an openly gay artist, Hockney explored erotic themes, often using friends and lovers as models. Early works like "We Two Boys Together Clinging" and "Two Men in a Shower" celebrated gay relationships at a time when homosexuality was illegal in Britain.
His commercial success was substantial. In 2018, his 1972 painting "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" sold for $90.3 million, a record at the time for a living artist. Another pool painting, "The Splash" (1966), sold for approximately $30 million in 2020.
Beyond his well-known pool scenes, Hockney also contributed to theatre and opera with costume and set designs, including a production of "Tristan und Isolde" for the Los Angeles Opera. He experimented with various media throughout his seven-decade career, including drawing, painting, printmaking, photo collage, and video.
In his later years, Hockney embraced digital tools, becoming particularly fond of drawing on iPads. This innovation was evident in his iPad drawings of Normandy's springtime, created during the 2020 coronavirus lockdown, which were featured in a 2025 exhibition in Paris.
Hockney's art also extended to public installations, such as the stained-glass window he designed for Westminster Abbey in 2018, celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's reign, which depicted a vibrant landscape.
Considered one of Britain's foremost living artists, Hockney received the Companion of Honour award in 1997. Despite a minor stroke in 2012 and increasing deafness, he continued to work, attributing his sustained creativity to his passion for his art. "It's my work that keeps me young," he told The Sun newspaper in 2017.