LONDON – The King has joined the art world in paying tribute to David Hockney, one of the UK’s most important and popular artists, who has died at the age of 88. In a personal message, King Charles said he and the Queen were “greatly saddened” to learn of the death of “a giant of the world of art and painting, a Yorkshireman through and through, and a dear friend and inspiration to so many”.
Artist Dame Tracey Emin said she felt privileged to have known Hockney, adding: “A great artist and a wonderful man, who with the power of art changed the perception of Britishness. A proud chain-smoking homosexual, who flew the flag higher than any other British artist.” Over his seven-decade career, Hockney was famous for his vibrant and innovative artworks, including landscapes of his native Yorkshire, sun-drenched paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools, and iPad portraits of friends and family. In his statement, the King recalled encounters with Hockney, including an Order of Merit lunch to which the artist wore unconventional footwear in 2022. “David was one of life’s true originals; one who wore his genius as lightly as those beloved yellow Crocs of his that helped brighten Palace occasions.
“I trust they will see him tread safely into the hereafter as we mourn a man whose irrepressible charm, talent and constant innovation will be most sorely missed, but whose dazzling creativity lives on in galleries and museums around the world.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “saddened” to hear of the death of “one of Britain’s most celebrated artists”.
A Downing Street spokesman added that the artist’s “vivid, instantly recognisable work influenced generations of artists, and the prime minister’s thoughts are with his friends and family”.
Alex Farquharson, director of the Tate Britain gallery, described Hockney as an “immensely important figure” and “an endlessly inventive artist, with a unique vision of the world”. Farquharson remembered Hockney as someone who was “always completely and courageously himself, both in his work and in life”. “He taught us about the joy of looking, seeing things the rest of us failed to notice – his witty and sharp observations a constant presence within his work and in person,” he continued.
“The loss to the art world is immense: David’s passing brings to a close an extraordinary body of work characterised by reinvention.