David Hockney
The art of David Hockney is always engaging in its pleasant ambiguities: his prints, drawings and paintings are warm but somehow aloof; filled with light yet often dark and brooding in subject; simple, frank and mundane, but also ethereal and complex. The artist’s stature in the contemporary art world is such that, in a 2011 survey of one thousand British painters and sculptors, he was named the most influential British artist of all time.
Hockney grew up in Bradford, in the northern English county of Yorkshire, studying at the Bradford School of Art from 1953 to ’57, and at the Royal College of Art in London from 1959 to 1962. Though he was educated in art at a time when abstraction dominated the field, Hockney stuck resolutely to figurative painting and drawing.
Hockney's early paintings suggest a search for a style, veering from Expressionism to a grotesquerie suggestive of James Ensor. But Hockney found himself almost the moment he arrived in Los Angeles, in 1963. The move from the gray and rainy Britain to a world of bright sunshine and sparkling water brought Hockney a sense of freedom and an artistic epiphany. He would spend most of the next five years in L.A., painting luminous pictures, such as A Bigger Splash (1967), of things that made him happy: swimming pools, manicured lawns, palm trees, stucco buildings and luxuries like shower stalls. Hockney also painted people, almost always his friends. His California portraits such as Beverly Hills Housewife (1966) are considered to be his finest work. They are at once grandly scaled, intimate and poetic.
In the 1970s, Hockney moved back to Britain and spent much of his time on photography and printmaking. He returned to painting in the 1980s, and to subjects like still lifes, seascapes and portraits. Hockney has always been fascinated by the use of technology in art — he’s credited with inventing the technique of joining Polaroid photos in a collage to form a panoramic picture — and has been using the Brush app to paint on an iPad. Because he is prolific and works in a wide range of mediums, Hockney’s art is available at many price points. His consistently striking and provocative work should have a place in any comprehensive collection of contemporary art.
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1970s British David Hockney
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1980s American David Hockney
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese David Hockney
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Designers Similar to David Hockney
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022A digital collage, much like the ones by artist David Hockney, can be made by taking many photographs from one place. Take your collection of photos to photoshop and work in the collage, but do not blend the images. Photoshop will put the images in layers and you can adjust them. You’ll want to adjust them and play with the color and shadow to get your own effect. Shop a selection of original Hockney pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022David Hockney was known for creating photo collages and photo montages. He would take polaroid photos and use the images to compose his patchwork of art. You can shop a selection of David Hockey’s pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022David Hockey was one of the first artists to use acrylics. He would paint large areas of one color, then would add finer details over top. Shop a selection of David Hockney’s pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 13, 2024There are several interesting facts about David Hockney. For one, the British artist refused to write an essay for his final exam at the Royal College of Art and instead submitted a sketch of his diploma, prompting the school to change the rules in order to allow him to graduate. He also has synesthesia, which allows him to see colors when he listens to music. In 1990, he turned down the opportunity to be knighted by the Queen of England. Another fact is that Hockney has always been fascinated by the use of technology in art. He is credited with inventing the technique of joining Polaroid photos in a collage to form a panoramic picture, and he has recently been using the Brush app to paint on an iPad. On 1stDibs, find a selection of David Hockney art.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Reproductions of David Hockney’s art are very popular and can be found online as well as in many physical retail stores and art stores. Finding original fine-art prints that Hockney created — prints created specifically to be made into a limited edition — is a bit more difficult, but they can be located at art galleries, auction houses and various online platforms. Shop a selection of authentic David Hockney prints from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022David Hockney is known as an important artist in the pop art movement. His paintings and photo collages of Los Angeles swimming pools are what are most frequently referenced when talking about his works. Today David Hockney has moved into the digital art arena and continues to push artistic boundaries. Shop a selection of David Hockney pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.