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Celebrated artist David Hockney, who died on June 11 at age 88, made a career out of viewing the world through a prism of bold color. An instrumental figure in the 1960s Pop Art movement, Hockney worked across painting, photography, printmaking, collage, and digital media over nearly seven decades and three countries. He spent his youth and the early days of his career in England before taking flight to explore new frontiers—both literally and artistically.
Much of Hockney’s trademark as an artist was how he took inspiration from his surroundings, deftly translating what he saw through an inimitable lens of color and shapes. A lot of his influences came from the places where he lived throughout his life, making much of his work a mosaic of the many homes he occupied. Below, find more about those inspirations.
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David Hockney in the studio of one of his Los Angeles homes circa 1987.
Los Angeles
The Southern California city left perhaps the biggest impact on Hockney and his work. He first moved to the West Coast in 1964, before traveling the world for a few years, according to the David Hockney Foundation. Ultimately, however, the siren song of palm trees and glittering pools was too strong for Hockney—and he returned to California around 1966. The following year, he painted one of his most well-known works—The Bigger Splash, which depicted a sun-drenched pool in California, just seconds after an anonymous diver leaps beneath the surface.
According to Realtor.com, Hockney purchased a Hollywood Hills ranch house in 1981 for $181,500—transforming the space into a technicolor dream world that embodied his artistic flair. He painted the balcony railings in a bold blue, and accented the window trim in a sunshine yellow. He added an art studio, which would become the birthplace to some of his most notable works.
Inside the residence, the artist conjured an explosion of quirky irreverence and character. Hockney described the home’s design as influenced by his work designing theatrical sets for the Parade and Stravinsky triple bills, which he worked on while living in Hollywood Hills. Hockney’s playful Pop Art aesthetic heavily influenced the home, as evidenced by features such as the three-dimensional sculptural fireplace and mantel. According to Realtor.com, Hockney still owned the property at the time of his passing.
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Hockney inside his Hollywood Hills home in 1991.
Aside from owning the Hollywood Hills estate, the artist’s foundation says Hockney also bought a Malibu home and studio on the Pacific Coast Highway around 1988—close to the time that he began creating paintings of chairs. He sold that property in 1999 for $1.5 million, per Realtor.com.
East Yorkshire, England
Hockney returned to his Yorkshire birthplace in 2004, per the David Hockney Foundation. He spent a period of time in the area, even moving into a “large warehouse studio” in the city. In Bridlington, the artist took inspiration from the countryside and spent much time outside composing large en plein air canvases with watercolors. Vogue reports him saying of the area, “The first winter I spent here… I began to see how beautiful winters were.”
Normandy, France
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One portion of the 90m frieze ’A Year in Normandy.’
Between 2019 and 2020, Hockney began spending more time in Normandy. According to The Guardian and Normandy’s own tourism board, he eventually settled down in a 17th-century timbered house just outside the village of Beuvron-en-Auge. Here, Hockney worked on iPad landscapes depicting the area—which were later shown in his exhibition, “A Year in Normandy.”
London
Hockney lived in London on and off throughout his life. In 1969, the artist lived and worked in a Notting Hill flat that was featured in Better Homes & Gardens. Images of the space show surprisingly understated interiors, punctuated with the occasional flair of personality. Cream walls and deep wood floors exude a restrained minimalism, while woodland sculptures offer flourishes of whimsy. (The Washington Post also reports Hockney maintained a Kensington residence and three studios alongside his Hollywood Hills home at one point.)
Eventually, Hockney relocated to Los Angeles—but The Guardian states he returned to the British capital years later in 2023 following his time in Normandy and lived there for his remaining years. The painter quietly moved into a residence in Marylebone, central London—where The Guardian reported King Charles himself visited him in March of last year. He died on June 11 at his Marylebone home in London, per The Washington Post.