David Hockney

David Hockney was one of Britain's most influential modern artists, celebrated for his vivid use of colour, precise draughtsmanship and restless experimentation. Born in Bradford in 1937, he studied at the Royal College of Art and emerged as a leading figure in 1960s Pop art. His early work brought together personal experience, wit and bold graphic style, while his move to California in 1964 opened a new visual world of light, space, pools and modern architecture.

Hockney's paintings, including A Bigger Splash and Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), became defining images of post-war art. Across his career he moved between painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, stage design and digital media, later embracing iPhones and iPads to create expansive landscapes and portraits. Whether depicting Los Angeles, Yorkshire or intimate figures from his life, Hockney remained committed to looking closely, reinventing perspective and showing the pleasure of seeing.