David Hockney

One of the most influential artists to ever come out of Britain, David Hockney's exceptional artistic career spans across two centuries and is marked by a relentless exploration of color, light, technique and perspective.

Creating bold yet tranquil pieces that are like a breath of fresh air, David Hockney's art is a window through which he lets his viewer take a peek into a pastel-coloured world.

Before A Bigger Splash

Born July 9, 1937 in Bradford, Yorkshire, David Hockney showed an early interest in art, developing his skills at Bradford College of Art before joining London's Royal College of Art. By this time, he had already begun to make a name for himself with his distinctive style and innovative approach. In 1961 he was part of a Young Contemporaries exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London, an event that marked the dawning of the Pop Art era in the United Kingdom.

David Hockney Goes West

One of the defining moments in David Hockney's career was his move to California in 1964. The artistic effervescence of the American West Coast had a profound influence on his work. Taking on an aesthetic that reflected his sunlit surroundings, David Hockney began taking photographs and producing paintings and drawings of swimming pools, sleek, modern architecture and green landscapes. As can be expected of his early works, his genre scenes often carry not-so-subtle homoerotic undertones.

During this time, he began using Polaroids and acrylic paint in his work. These mediums together constituted a new medium nestled in between Pop Art and Hyperrealism. His famous paintings of swimming pools, such as A Bigger Splash (1967) and Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1972), brilliantly captured the typical Californian atmosphere and were acclaimed for their captivating depiction of moving water.

PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLAGES AND VISUAL EXPERIMENTATION

David Hockney was also a pioneer in the use of photography to create works of art. His photographic collages, made up of several shots assembled to form a single image, pushed the limits of perspective. The collage entitled, Pearblossom Hwy. 11-18th April 1986, is an emblematic example of his avant-gardist collage technique as it offers a vivid vision of the Californian landscape.

Hockey did not, however, limit his collage landscapes to the Californian countryside. As can be seen in the artwork entitled Graffiti Palace, NY 1982, he employs a similar collage technique, albeit a bit more disjointed, to depict a New York City monument covered in graffiti.

DAVID HOCKNEY: A PORTRAIT PAINTER IN HIS OWN RIGHT

David Hockney is also renowned for his portraits, including Double Portrait of Lucian Freud (1968), demonstrating his ability to capture the personality and intimacy of his subjects, and Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy (1970-1971), an emblematic work that combines everyday life with art, featuring his close friends in an emotionally charged portrait.

Beyond conventional portraits, the British artist explored intimacy and identity, as exemplified by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy (1968). Such creations underline his commitment to the authentic and faithful representation of his subjects, while experimenting with different artistic techniques.

DAVID HOCKNEY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Hockney had always been fond of making use of new technologies and pushing the limits of every artistic medium he touched. Whether it was a digital camera, to create his monumental work, A Bigger Grand Canyon or an iPad, yes an iPad, he embraces modern technology and let it guide him in the exploration of new practices.

Hockney's iPad Drawings

In the 2000s, David Hockney began using his iPad as an artistic tool. Dubbed his "iPad Drawings", they have been hailed for their liveliness and spontaneity. More recently, David Hockney has undertaken an emotional return to his native Yorkshire, notably in his series of landscapes painted on iPad: The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire (2011). This illustrates his deep connection with nature and his attachment to his roots. Another iPad drawing that is for sale is entitled My Window with iPad Drawing No. 610, 23rd December 2010.

DAVID HOCKNEY'S WORLDWIDE SUCCESS

David Hockney has enjoyed an exceptional career, punctuated by major exhibitions around the world. Retrospectives of his work have been organized at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Britain in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He has received numerous honors, including the British Order of Merit and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the United States. He has also designed a label for Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

RECORD-BREAKING AUCTION PRICES

David Hockney has regularly broken records at auction houses for decades. With prices that are continually on the rise, his work holds a steadily-increasing value in the same way that works by Andy Warhol do. David Hockney's most expensive work ever sold is Portrait Of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures) at Christie's in November 2018 fetching a whopping $90 million USD. On a more modest side, Hockney's Montcalm Interior With 2 Dogs sold for $12 million after being hidden in a private collection for over two decades.

Despite the high prices of his original artworks created pre-2000, Hockney's artwork is still available to novice collectors in the form of prints and limited edition lithographs.

A BIGGER BOOK

David Hockney’s life and artistic career are so fascinatingly rich that his autobiography entitled, A Bigger Book, weighs in at a cumbersome 35 kg. The 500-page book recounts around 60 years of his life starting with his childhood, his time at the Bradford Art School, his life in Los Angeles, his 2.0 portraits and his luscious Yorkshire landscapes. According to The Guardian, this bound book weighs about the same as a chair.

Collect David Hockney Art on Rise Art

An exceptional collection of original lithographs and limited editions by David Hockney is now on sale at Rise Art. Continue your exploration by browsing our collection of limited-edition prints by David Hockney. Collectors can enjoy prints from almost every era of David Hockney's career.

Artist Profile: More on David Hockney

If you're intrigued by the fast-paced and ever-evolving life of David Hockney, read on to learn five interesting facts about this artist whose swimming pool paintings break records with their sky-high prices at auctions houses. Rise Art profiles David Hockney in this article.