British artist David Hockney, one of the most influential figures in contemporary art, has died at age 88, his publicist said on Friday (12 June). He died peacefully at his home in London one month before his 89th birthday.
Hockney was widely regarded as one of the defining artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, gaining international recognition as a leading figure in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s.
Known for his vivid use of colour and distinctive depictions of domestic and landscape scenes, his work spanned painting, photography, collage and digital art.
Born in Bradford, England, in 1937, Hockney developed an early fascination with perspective and observation, later describing how he loved sitting at the front of a double-decker bus to see the world unfold around him.
He went on to produce thousands of works over his career, including paintings, sketches and photographic compositions. His subjects ranged from California swimming pools to Yorkshire landscapes and portraits of friends and cultural figures.
Hockney also embraced new technology throughout his life, becoming one of the first major artists to experiment with digital tools.
He used fax machines, colour photocopiers, iPhones and iPads as artistic instruments, continuing to produce work well into his later years.
In 2018, his painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) sold for $90.3 million, setting a record at the time for the most expensive work by a living artist sold at auction.
Hockney’s influence extended beyond traditional art circles, with major retrospectives in institutions such as the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris in 2025 cementing his status as a defining voice in modern visual culture.
Despite his global fame, Hockney often described himself as a working artist rather than a celebrity, maintaining a daily routine of drawing and painting, driven by a lifelong fascination with light, space and perception.
He lived between the United States and the United Kingdom for much of his career, forming connections with major cultural figures including Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg.
He remained active and creatively engaged until his death, continuing to explore new mediums and approaches to seeing the world.
The United States and Iran have traded fresh strikes, with the U.S. hitting military sites and Iran launching missiles and drones at bases and ship...
Georgia and the European Union have held their first working-level talks in Brussels following the EU's decision to suspend visa-free travel for holde...
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk have criticised Britain, France and Germany for leaving them out of talks...
Türkiye has condemned a defence agreement signed this week between France and Southern Cyprus, describing it as a threat to regional stability and th...
Legions of security officers and police are being deployed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as organisers prepare for what officials describe as an unprece...
The United States and Iran have traded fresh strikes, with the U.S. hitting military sites and Iran launching missiles and drones at bases and ships near the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping remains active, but tensions are rising as calls grow for restraint and renewed talks.
Georgia and the European Union have held their first working-level talks in Brussels following the EU's decision to suspend visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic, service and official passports.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk have criticised Britain, France and Germany for leaving them out of talks with Russia about a potential future peace deal for Ukraine.
Legions of security officers and police are being deployed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as organisers prepare for what officials describe as an unprecedented security challenge to protect fans, players and venues across North America.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
SpaceX has made history with the largest initial public offering ever in the United States, pricing its shares at $135 each and achieving a market valuation of $1.77 trillion.
U.S. Donald Trump has said he has cancelled planned strikes on Iranian oil and gas ports announced earlier on Thursday. Trump said he made the decision after senior leadership in Iran agreed to peace talks.
While France hosts next week’s Group of Seven summit, businesses in neighbouring Switzerland have already begun taking precautions, with many shops in Geneva boarded up ahead of a large anti-G7 demonstration expected on Sunday.
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has found that xAI’s Grok chatbot and its parent company X Corp. violated federal privacy law by launching an AI image-generation tool without adequate safeguards, enabling the creation and distribution of non-consensual sexualised deepfakes.
Thousands of revellers packed Berga's main square as fire-devil performers showered the crowd with sparks during Catalonia's UNESCO-listed La Patum festival.
The 79th Annual Tony Awards took place on Sunday (7 June) at Radio City Music Hall, celebrating the strongest performances of the Broadway season, with singer-songwriter P!nk hosting and delivering the opening performance alongside a host of musical guests.
Barcelona is preparing to mark a historic milestone in the legacy of architect Antoni Gaudí as Pope Leo XIV visits the city this week to inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família basilica, almost exactly 100 years after the visionary architect’s death.
Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian-French artist, filmmaker and author best known for the acclaimed graphic novel Persepolis, has died at the age of 56, the French presidency announced on Thursday.
Colombian singer Shakira will perform the official World Cup song, "Dai Dai", at the tournament's opening ceremony in Mexico City, FIFA announced on Friday (5 June).
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment