David Hockney BRITISH, b. 1937

David Hockney is a pioneering figure of the 1960s British art movement and one of the most celebrated and prolific artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Known for his versatility, he has embraced a remarkable range of media, from acrylic painting and photo-collage to digital works created on iPads, as well as full-scale opera set designs. Hockney first gained prominence with his semi-abstract depictions of gay love, before moving to California in 1964, where he immortalised Southern California life in pastel-toned scenes of swimming pools, palm trees and sunlit homes.

 

Born in 1937, Hockney studied at the Royal College of Art in London before relocating to the United States, where his vibrant and intimate paintings earned him international acclaim. He has exhibited at major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

 

In the art market, David Hockney’s works continue to command extraordinary prices. His most famous painting, Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972), remains his most expensive at auction, where it sold for US $90.3 million at Christie’s New York in 2018, setting a then-record for a living artist. More recently, a group of 17 of his iPad drawings from The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate series fetched £6.2 million at Sotheby’s London, dramatically exceeding their pre-sale estimate.

 

Hockney’s body of work bridges tradition and innovation, combining bold compositional vision with emotional intimacy. From his sweeping Californian landscapes to his digitally rendered print editions, his art continues to inspire and resonate, both in major institutions and on the global market.