One of the most influential living British artists
David Hockney is a British painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. Born in Bradford, England, he is an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s. In a 2011 poll by The Royal Academy of Arts of more than 1,000 British artists, Hockney was voted the most influential British artist of all time. He continues to paint and exhibit, and advocates for funding of the arts.
From an early age he loved books and was interested in art, admiring Picasso, Matisse and Fragonard. His parents encouraged their son’s artistic exploration, and gave him the freedom to doodle and daydream.
He attended the Royal College of Arts in London, before moving moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s. There, he painted his famous swimming pool paintings. By the 1970s, Hockney had all but abandoned painting in favour of projects involving photography, lithographs, and set and costume design for the ballet, opera and theatre.
In the late 1980s, Hockney returned to painting, primarily painting seascapes, flowers and portraits of loved ones. He also began incorporating technology in his art, creating his first homemade prints on a photocopier in 1986. The marriage of art and technology became an ongoing fascination; he used laser fax machines and laser printers in 1990, and in 2009 he started using the Brushes app on iPhones and iPads to create paintings. A 2011 exhibit at the Royal Museum of Ontario showcased 100 of these paintings.
Education and Teaching
1966-67 Teaching Position at the University of California, Los Angeles & Berkeley
1965 Teaching Position at the University of Colorado
1964 Teaching Position at the University of Iowa
1959-62 Royal College of Art
1953-57 Bradford College of Art
Awards
For a full list of awards that David Hockney has received, please visit:
http://www.hockney.com/resources/education_awards
