David Hockney, seminal figure in contemporary art, dies aged 88
Publicist confirms the 88-year-old died peacefully on 11 June 2026, ending a seven-decade career defined by multimedia experimentation and record-breaking auction sales.
Renowned British artist David Hockney has died at the age of 88, marking the end of a career that spanned seven decades and reshaped contemporary art. His publicist, Erica Bolton, confirmed that Hockney passed away peacefully at his London home on 11 June 2026, although no cause of death was provided in the initial statement.
Bolton described Hockney as one of the most important figures in 20th and 21st-century art, noting that his prolific oeuvre was characterised by a sustained commitment to portraying the world and an intellectual inquiry into perspective. A leading figure in the 1960s Pop art movement, Hockney remained active, experimenting with media and technology right up until his death.
Born in West Yorkshire in 1937, Hockney trained at the Bradford School of Art and London’s Royal College of Art, where he graduated with a Gold Medal distinction. A conscientious objector who served as a hospital orderly during military service, he moved to California in 1964, capturing the landscape and culture of the era before establishing himself as a globally renowned painter.
His work is distinguished by its vibrant use of colour, patterned light, and flattened shapes. In 2018, his painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) sold for $90.3 million in New York, setting a record for a living artist at the time. He was also an early adopter of digital tools, utilising iPads since 2010 and collaborating with developers on custom applications for artistic creation.
Hockney is survived by his partner Jean-Pierre Goncalves de Lima, his great-nephew and studio assistant Richard Hockney, his brothers Philip and John, and numerous other family members.
