Revolutionary British artist David Hockney dies aged 88

British artist David Hockney died on June 12, 2026, at the age of 88. Hockney rose to prominence in the 1960s as a pop artist, becoming renowned for his depictions of California swimming pools, which became emblematic of the Los Angeles aesthetic. Iconic works like "A Bigger Splash" and "Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures)" captured themes of love, lust, and loss under the Californian sun. Throughout his six-decade career, Hockney explored various artistic mediums, including perspective-shifting photo-collages, abstract landscapes, and later, 3D technology for art creation. Born in Bradford in 1937, Hockney's artistic journey began with encouragement from his "radical working-class family." He studied at Bradford College, selling his first painting, a portrait of his father, for £10 in 1957. After serving as a hospital orderly during his national service as a conscientious objector, he attended the Royal College of Art in London starting in 1959. At the RCA, he established a reputation for his unique talent and rebellious nature, notably submitting "Life Drawing for a Diploma," a depiction of a muscular male figure, in lieu of a traditional life drawing and refusing to write a required essay, actions which the institution accommodated due to his recognized artistic merit.