David Hockney, beloved British artist, dies aged 88

David Hockney, the beloved British artist, has died at the age of 88.

A statement revealed that the hugely influential figure passed away at his home yesterday (June 11).

The statement read: “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. Details of memorials will follow in due course.”

Hockney was born in Bradford in 1937 and became a defining figure in the art of his native Yorkshire as well as Britain and the world.

His most famous painting, Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), sold for £70million at auction in New York in 2018. At the time, it was the record for the highest figure paid for a painting by a living artist.

Hockney moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, returning to Yorkshire in 2005. He is believed to have turned down a knighthood on more than one occasion.