The distinguished painter David Hockney has died at the age of 88, his office’s public relations manager announced earlier.
The British artist is considered one of the most important and influential figures in contemporary art. Describing him as “one of the most important figures in contemporary art of both the 20th and 21st centuries,” Erica Bolton announced in a statement that “he passed away peacefully at his home” in London on Thursday, one month before his 89th birthday.
Born on July 9, 1937, in Bradford, Yorkshire, David Hockney was the fourth child of a modest family of five children. He studied at Bradford College of Art from 1953 to 1957 and then at the Royal College of Art in London from 1959 to 1962, where from the outset he combined abstraction, figurative art, and Pop Art.
His first solo exhibition—which had already caused quite a stir—took place in London in 1963. That is, one year after his graduation from the school, where he nearly failed to receive his degree due to a poor thesis, but was awarded a gold medal for the quality of his paintings.
The openly gay artist who painted diversity As an openly gay man, he made his sexual identity the subject of many of his works. “Domestic Scene, Los Angeles” (1963) depicts two boys showering together.
“Cleaning Teeth, Early Evening” (1962) depicts two men in a 69 position. These are paintings with a strong political character, in an England where homosexuality was then punishable by imprisonment.
In order to live his life to the fullest, he leaves for New York before settling in Los Angeles in the United States in 1964. There he meets Peter Schlesinger, an American artist, with whom he develops a romantic and professional relationship.
The painting “A Bigger Splash,” created in 1967 and housed at the Tate Museum in London, remains one of his most iconic works.
