British artist David Hockney, one of the most influential painters of the 20th and 21st centuries, has died at the age of 88.<\/p>\n
He passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, according to his longtime publicist Erica Bolton, just one month before his 89th birthday.<\/p>\n
Born in Bradford in 1937, Hockney rose to prominence in the 1960s as a leading figure in the pop art movement after studying at the Royal College of Art. He became internationally known for his bold use of color and his vivid depictions of everyday life, landscapes, and portraiture.<\/p>\n
His California-inspired swimming pool paintings, including A Bigger Splash<\/em>, became defining works of his career and helped establish his global reputation. Over decades, he expanded his practice into photography, stage design, printmaking, and digital art created on iPads.<\/p>\n Hockney was also known for his intimate portraits of friends and family, as well as landscapes inspired by Yorkshire and southern France.<\/p>\n An important cultural figure beyond art, Hockney was openly gay at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in Britain, and his work often reflected LGBTQ+ themes.<\/p>\n In later years, he continued to create art despite health challenges, including a minor stroke in 2012 and hearing loss.<\/p>\n He received numerous honors throughout his life, including the Order of Merit, and his 1972 painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)<\/em> sold for more than $90 million in 2018.<\/p>\n