David Hockney — Pioneering Contemporary British Artist

David Hockney (born 1937, Yorkshire, England) is one of the most influential British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. A painter, draftsman, printmaker, photographer, and stage designer, Hockney helped shape the visual language of the Pop Art movement in the 1960s before developing a distinct body of work grounded in technical innovation, luminous color, and an objective clarity drawn from both photography and modernist realism. His exploration of perception, space, and light, particularly in relation to place, has made him a defining figure in contemporary art.

Hockney studied at the Bradford College of Art (1953–57) and at the Royal College of Art in London (1959–62), where he earned a gold medal in the graduate competition. In 1961 he traveled to the United States to teach at the universities of Iowa, Colorado, and California. The rhythm of movement between England and the U.S. eventually led him to settle in Los Angeles in 1978, where the intense sunlight, swimming pools, and “California modern” sensibility became foundational to his imagery. This period produced some of his most iconic works, including Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972), which exemplifies his serene compositions, emotional restraint, and radiant spatial clarity.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Hockney expanded his practice across media. He created widely acclaimed print series such as Six Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (1970) and The Blue Guitar (1977). In the 1980s he produced an ambitious suite of photocollages, including Pearblossom Hwy. (April 1986), which challenged traditional notions of perspective and cinematic space. Across portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and intimate scenes of friends and muses, Hockney’s work has remained rooted in close observation and stylistic experimentation.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Hockney pushed further into questions of spatial representation through multi-panel landscapes, eventually embracing new digital tools. His prolific use of the iPad, particularly for drawing, became a defining feature of his later career and was prominently featured in the landmark traveling exhibition David Hockney: A Bigger Picture (2012–14). In 2017, a major retrospective at Tate Britain broke attendance records, underscoring his enduring global influence. The following year, Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) sold at Christie’s for $90 million, setting a historic auction record for a work by a living artist and securing Hockney’s status as a cultural icon.

While we do not currently have works by this artist in inventory, we offer sourcing services for blue-chip artworks and can assist with acquisition opportunities upon request.

Hockney has continued to innovate well into the 21st century. During the 2020 lockdown, he created a sweeping multi-panel iPad frieze inspired by the landscape of Normandy, exhibited in 2021 as A Year in Normandy at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris. His prolific writings including Hockney by Hockney (1976), Paper Pools (1980), and David Hockney Photographs (1982), offer insight into his lifelong exploration of seeing, time, and artistic process.

Among many honors, Hockney received Japan’s Praemium Imperiale in 1989, and in 2012 Queen Elizabeth II appointed him to the prestigious Order of Merit, reserved for individuals of exceptional contribution to science, art, literature, or public service.

Explore David Hockney at DTR Modern Galleries

David Hockney’s vibrant prints and works on paper are frequently featured within DTR Modern Galleries’ modern and contemporary program. His bold color, clarity of form, and iconic place in art history make his pieces highly sought after among collectors. Discover selections of his work across our locations in Boston, New York City, Palm Beach, and Washington, D.C.