Celebrated British artist David Hockney has died aged 88.
He died peacefully at home on June 11th, his publicist Erica Bolton said.
One of the best known and most influential British artists since he exploded onto the art scene in the 1960s, he was responsible for some of the most recognisable works of contemporary painting, such as The Splash and Pool with Two Figures.
Recognised as Britain’s favourite artist, the Bradford man was talented across a number of mediums including paint, photography and more recently iPads. He could also turn his hand adeptly to lithographs, etchings and stained glass.
A statement on his death said: “The celebrated British artist David Hockney, one of the most important figures in contemporary art in both the 20th and 21st centuries, passed away peacefully at home on 11 June 2026, one month short of his 89th birthday.”
It added: “David Hockney’s enduring legacy reflects his underlying enthusiasm for life, his outstanding sense of humour, his immense generosity, and his investigative curiosity encapsulated by his signature phrase, Love Life.”
He was also a committed life-long and defiant smoker and campaigned against anti-smoking laws. He smoked until the end of his life.
He is survived by his long-time partner and companion Jean-Pierre Goncalves de Lima; his great-nephew Richard, who acted as studio assistant in his last years; his brothers Philip and John, and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, Bolton said.
[ Room with a view: How David Hockney created digital art for a lockdownOpens in new window ]
Hockney embraced printmaking, set design, and photography to evolving media including photocopier and fax machines, computer, iPhone and iPad drawing, and stained glass.
He trained at the Bradford School of Art in the 1950s, followed by the Royal College of Art in London, where he graduated with Gold Medal distinction in 1962 and subsequently emerged as one of the seminal talents in the new generation of British artists.
David Hockney sitting in front of his work entitled Card Players (left) and A Bigger Card Players. Photo: John Stillwell/PA
Some of his most famous paintings came from his move to Los Angeles, when he began to document the Southern California lifestyle.
His return to Yorkshire in the early 2000s prompted a renewed engagement with the landscapes of his native country and produced some of his most ambitious oil paintings.
The iPhone and iPad, became central to Hockney’s practice from 2007 onward, resulting in the vast series The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011.
In 2017, he was invited by the Dean of Westminster Abbey to produce the stained-glass Queen’s Window in honour of Britain’s queen Elizabeth II, which was unveiled in October 2018.
He was appointed by Elizabeth II to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1997 and to the Order of Merit in 2012.
In 2026, Hockney became one of the few non-French citizens to be awarded the rank of Officer in France’s prestigious Legion d’Honneur. – PA
Six of David Hockney’s most celebrated works
A Bigger Splash (1967). Copyright: David Hockney 
Bigger Trees near Warter (2007). Copyright: David Hockney 
A Bigger Grand Canyon (1998). Copyright: David Hockney 
Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy (1970–71). © David Hockney 
Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972). © David Hockney. Photograph: Art Gallery of New South Wales 
The Arrival of Spring, Normandy (2020). Copyright: David Hockney