Life in pictures: British artist David Hockney's life
Adam Goldsmith·2026-06-12·via BBC News
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A master of colour, Hockney painted everyday subjects including the landscapes around him
British artist David Hockney, who has died aged 88,was one of the most influential artists of the modern era.
Over a prolific seven-decade career, he became famous for the variety, depth and innovation of his artworks, which spanned landscapes of his native Yorkshire, sun-drenched paintings of life in Los Angeles, and iPad portraits of friends and family.
Hockney was lauded for his diverse techniques and embraced digital art in his later years. Below are some examples of his celebrated art and the artist at work.
Devoted to drawing from an early age, he worked long days in the studio throughout his life
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Hockney's unique vision was quickly recognised, and he is pictured here in the 1960s with an award-winning painting called Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool
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Hockney's appearance may have been flamboyant but his work ethic was phenomenal
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The 1960s were a time of pop art and abstract expressionism, although Hockney steered his own singular path through his paintings
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Emigrating to Los Angeles in the 1960s inspired some of his most famous works, including one called A Bigger Splash
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His family was a recurring theme in his paintings, including this one of his parents
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Many of his works were of friends as well as family, such as these life portraits
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In playful mood at his studio in Bayswater, London, in the 1970s
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At his Los Angeles home in the 1980s in front of some of his paintings
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Man and dog - his playful sense of fun is apparent in this photograph
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Hockney created some of his works on a monumental scale, including this scene of spring in Woldgate, West Yorkshire
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He took inspiration from everyday scenes, painting what was around him
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He embraced new technology and used it to create works big and small
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This artwork, called A Year In Normandy, was painted during lockdown
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Card players were the theme of these paintings at an exhibition in London
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This was the scene at the gala opening in 2023 of an exhibition in London
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Not all of his work was huge in scale. He was just as happy making iPad paintings of his favourite trees, or intimate portraits such as this one of Harry Styles
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Pictured with the then Prince Charles in 1994. Hockney refused a knighthood in 1990
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Hockney is pictured here in 2021 at an exhibition of his work at the Orangerie museum in Paris
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