Painter, draughtsman, printmaker
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Key moments and achievements from David Hockney's life.
David was born
· Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
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Hockney won a scholarship to Bradford Grammar School in 1948. He preferred art class to all others, an early sign of the direction his life would take. The experience came after a childhood in Bradford shaped by his pacifist father and Methodist mother. He later said he had decided at age 11 that he wanted to be an artist.
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Hockney won a scholarship to Bradford Grammar School in 1948. He preferred art class to all others, an early sign of the direction his life would take. The experience came after a childhood in Bradford shaped by his pacifist father and Methodist mother. He later said he had decided at age 11 that he wanted to be an artist.
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He entered Bradford School of Art in 1953. By 1957 he had graduated with a First Class Diploma with Honours for the National Diploma in Design examination. He then performed National Service. The training gave him a formal base before he moved on to London.
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He entered Bradford School of Art in 1953. By 1957 he had graduated with a First Class Diploma with Honours for the National Diploma in Design examination. He then performed National Service. The training gave him a formal base before he moved on to London.
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Hockney moved to London in 1959 to study at the Royal College of Art. There he developed friendships with R. B. Kitaj and other students. The move placed him in the center of a more expansive art world. It also set up the burst of experimentation that followed.
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Hockney moved to London in 1959 to study at the Royal College of Art. There he developed friendships with R. B. Kitaj and other students. The move placed him in the center of a more expansive art world. It also set up the burst of experimentation that followed.
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In 1960 he saw the Picasso exhibition at the Tate Gallery. He also came under the influence of Walt Whitman and made his first love paintings. That same year he showed work with Young Contemporaries. The period marked a sharpening of both his subject matter and his confidence.
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In 1960 he saw the Picasso exhibition at the Tate Gallery. He also came under the influence of Walt Whitman and made his first love paintings. That same year he showed work with Young Contemporaries. The period marked a sharpening of both his subject matter and his confidence.
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In 1961 Hockney visited New York for the first time. He also turned to etching and painted A Grand Procession of Dignitaries in the Semi-Egyptian Style. The year showed how quickly he moved between media. It also widened the geography of his imagination.
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In 1961 Hockney visited New York for the first time. He also turned to etching and painted A Grand Procession of Dignitaries in the Semi-Egyptian Style. The year showed how quickly he moved between media. It also widened the geography of his imagination.
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He graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1962. That year he received his first gallery representation from John Kasmin. AP later noted that he had already made an impact before graduating and was taken into Kasmin’s stable in 1961. The early recognition helped establish his professional footing.
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He graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1962. That year he received his first gallery representation from John Kasmin. AP later noted that he had already made an impact before graduating and was taken into Kasmin’s stable in 1961. The early recognition helped establish his professional footing.
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In 1963 Hockney painted double portraits and completed the etchings for A Rake’s Progress. He also visited New York again. Later that year he had his first solo exhibition, Pictures with People In, at Kasmin’s gallery. The show helped define the public shape of his early career.
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In 1963 Hockney painted double portraits and completed the etchings for A Rake’s Progress. He also visited New York again. Later that year he had his first solo exhibition, Pictures with People In, at Kasmin’s gallery. The show helped define the public shape of his early career.
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Hockney moved to Los Angeles in 1964. There he painted palm trees, swimming pools, and other California scenes that became central to his work. The move was the pivot point where his artistic voice truly crystallized. California gave him the light and space that would become inseparable from his name.
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Hockney moved to Los Angeles in 1964. There he painted palm trees, swimming pools, and other California scenes that became central to his work. The move was the pivot point where his artistic voice truly crystallized. California gave him the light and space that would become inseparable from his name.
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In 1967 Hockney painted A Bigger Splash, one of the most recognized images of his career and a defining work of his California period. He also won the John Moores Painting Prize for Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool. The two works captured his fascination with water, surface, and suspended motion. They helped secure his place in the public imagination.
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In 1967 Hockney painted A Bigger Splash, one of the most recognized images of his career and a defining work of his California period. He also won the John Moores Painting Prize for Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool. The two works captured his fascination with water, surface, and suspended motion. They helped secure his place in the public imagination.
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Hockney was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1997. The honor recognized the breadth and influence of a career that had already stretched across painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and digital media. By then he was widely regarded as one of the defining British artists of his era. The recognition confirmed what the work had long shown.
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Hockney was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1997. The honor recognized the breadth and influence of a career that had already stretched across painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and digital media. By then he was widely regarded as one of the defining British artists of his era. The recognition confirmed what the work had long shown.
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He established the David Hockney Foundation in 2008. Its mission was to advance appreciation and understanding of visual art and culture through the exhibition, preservation, and publication of his work. The foundation reflected his concern with how art would be seen and preserved. It also extended his influence beyond the studio.
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He established the David Hockney Foundation in 2008. Its mission was to advance appreciation and understanding of visual art and culture through the exhibition, preservation, and publication of his work. The foundation reflected his concern with how art would be seen and preserved. It also extended his influence beyond the studio.
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In 2012 Hockney was included in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. That same year his exhibition David Hockney: A Bigger Picture opened at the Royal Academy of Arts. The show underscored his continuing interest in landscape and scale. It also confirmed that his late work remained central to the conversation around his career.
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In 2012 Hockney was included in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. That same year his exhibition David Hockney: A Bigger Picture opened at the Royal Academy of Arts. The show underscored his continuing interest in landscape and scale. It also confirmed that his late work remained central to the conversation around his career.
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Hockney later spent significant periods in California, Yorkshire, and Normandy while continuing to work prolifically. He remained committed to painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and digital media, including the iPad. His late period showed the same curiosity that had driven him from the start. He kept returning to the question of how best to see the world.
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Hockney later spent significant periods in California, Yorkshire, and Normandy while continuing to work prolifically. He remained committed to painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and digital media, including the iPad. His late period showed the same curiosity that had driven him from the start. He kept returning to the question of how best to see the world.
David Hockney passed away
