The artist’s passing marks the end of a seven-decade career that reshaped contemporary art and continues to inspire collectors worldwide.
PARIS, FR / ACCESS Newswire / June 15, 2026 / David Hockney, the British artist whose sun drenched California pools, intimate double portraits and pioneering digital landscapes made him one of the most influential and widely loved figures in contemporary art, has died at the age of 88. His publicist confirmed that he passed away peacefully at home on 11 June 2026, one month short of his 89th birthday. He is survived by his partner, Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima.
Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, in 1937, Hockney built a career spanning more than seven decades across painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, stage design and digital media. From the swimming pools of Los Angeles to the landscapes of his native Yorkshire and Normandy, his work was defined by colour, light and a relentless curiosity that never settled on a single medium or style.
A career in constant motion
After studying at the Royal College of Art, where he won the gold medal in 1962, Hockney made his first trip to Los Angeles in 1964, a move that reshaped his work and gave rise to some of his most celebrated paintings, including A Bigger Splash (1967) and Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972). The latter sold for $90.3 million at Christie’s in 2018, setting a record at the time for a living artist.
He was equally renowned for his double portraits, such as Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy (1971), now held by Tate Britain, and for continually reinventing his practice through photographic collages, large-scale Yorkshire landscapes and, in his later years, works created entirely on the iPhone and iPad.
A Pioneering Voice in Queer Art History
Openly gay throughout his career, Hockney was also one of the defining figures in queer art history. At a time when homosexuality remained criminalised in England, he depicted same-sex desire and intimacy with remarkable openness and humanity.
As early as 1961, six years before homosexuality was partially decriminalised in Britain, he painted We Two Boys Together Clinging – a direct celebration of gay desire at a time when such depictions were not only taboo but potentially incriminating. His legacy belongs as much to queer cultural history as it does to the broader canon of contemporary art.
A Defining Retrospective
In 2025, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris presented David Hockney 25, the largest retrospective of the artist’s career. Bringing together more than 400 works, the exhibition traced his evolution from the early pool paintings to his most recent digital landscapes, reaffirming his place among the most significant artists of the modern era.
Enduring International Interest
Hockney’s influence continues to be reflected in the global art market, where demand for his work has remained strong across both primary and secondary channels.
According to data from Singulart, collector interest in David Hockney’s work has remained consistent over the past year across Europe, North America and Asia. Interest spans both original works and fine art reproductions, with buyers from Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Japan and the United States among the most active audiences.
About Singulart: Founded in Paris in 2017, Singulart is a curated online art gallery connecting collectors with contemporary artists and galleries from around the world. singulart.com
For press inquiries or interview requests, contact: Marta Lajoso, marta.lajoso@singulart.com
SOURCE: Singulart
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