Modern Art Icon Passes.
David Hockney, Iconic British Artist Known for Pool Paintings, Dies at 88 After Revolutionary Career.
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David Hockney, one of the most celebrated British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, died on June 11, 2026, at the age of 88 — one month short of his 89th birthday. His publicist, Erica Bolton, confirmed he "passed away peacefully at home," The Guardian reported.
Hockney leaves behind a career spanning seven decades, more than 8,000 works, and a record-breaking $90.3 million auction sale. From Bradford to Los Angeles to Normandy, he never stopped reinventing what art could look like — or what it could be made with.
Bradford Boy Who Conquered California With Swimming Pools
Born in Bradford, England, on July 9, 1937, Hockney showed a rebellious streak early. At the Royal College of Art in London, he refused to complete a required life drawing essay. The college eventually changed its rules just to give him his diploma, according to AP.
In 1964, he moved to Los Angeles and never looked back. The California sun gave him the saturated colors he craved. His 1967 painting *A Bigger Splash* and his broader swimming pool series turned the LA lifestyle into iconic images. They made him a household name far beyond the art world.
A $90 Million Painting and a Record That Stood for Years
In November 2018, *Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)*, painted in 1972, sold at Christie's for $90.3 million. It set a world record for a living artist at the time. The standing figure in the painting was modeled on Peter Schlesinger, Hockney's former partner, according to Yahoo News.
The sale cemented Hockney's status as what the art world calls a "blue chip" artist — someone whose work holds and grows in value. His foundation holds over 8,000 works. Experts expect the value of his art to surge now that he has died.
From Fax Machines to iPads: A Pioneer Who Embraced Every New Tool
Hockney never stopped experimenting. In the 1980s, he created "joiner" photo-collages that challenged the idea of single-point perspective — the traditional way of showing depth in a picture. He argued they better captured how the human eye actually sees the world.
Late in life, he embraced the iPad as a canvas. His *Arrival of Spring* series included 116 digital prints. His 2023 immersive show *Bigger & Closer* at London's Lightroom used 3D technology to bring his work to life. Critics who once called his digital art a "novelty" reversed their judgment after major retrospectives in Paris.
A Rebel Who Turned Down a Knighthood but Kept the Nation's Heart
Hockney received the Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 — one of Britain's highest honors. But he consistently refused a knighthood. He wanted to remain an outsider. Historian Simon Schama said millions love Hockney's work because it "presupposes an expectation of pleasure," according to AP.
He suffered a minor stroke in 2012 but kept working. In 2012, he also donated $124 million worth of art to his own charitable foundation. He moved to Normandy in 2019 to paint the changing seasons. His trademark round glasses and Yorkshire accent made him a recognizable figure to millions who had never set foot in a gallery.
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