About

David Hockney is one of the most important painters of the 20th century. He was born in Bradford in 1937 and was an instrumental part of the pop art movement in the 1960s. Pop Art was a style of art that was bright and full of colour. Hockney lives in London but owns two homes in California - both of which have a significant and varying impact on his works. Due to the erratic weather in the UK, when in England, Hockney likes to paint the change in seasons. In Going Up Garrowby Hill, Hockney painted the landscape of Yorkshire.

When Hockney paints in California, his paintings are bold and colourful. In the painting A Bigger Splash Hockney painted using vivacious blues which entice you to jump in the hot Californian pool surrounded by exotic palm trees - a far cry from scenes we are used to in the UK! Hockney has owned a residence and studio in Bridlington and London, as well as two residences in California, where he has lived intermittently since 1964: one in the Hollywood Hills, one in Malibu, and an office and archives on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California.

On 15 November 2018, Hockney's 1972 work Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) sold at Christie's auction house in New York City for $90 million (£70 million), becoming the most expensive artwork by a living artist sold at auction. This broke the previous record, set by the 2013 sale of Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog (Orange) for $58.4 million. Hockney held this record until 15 May 2019, Jeff Koons reclaimed the honour when his Rabbit sold for more than $91 million at Christie's in New York.

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