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David Hockney

Art genre: Various.
Art media: Painting, printmaking, photo collage, multi fax pictures, theatre set and costume design.

Life: Born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in 1937, Hockney went to Bradford Grammar School. After attending the local art school, he went to the Royal College of Art in 1959. In 1961 he visited New York for the first time, became friendly with Andy Warhol and discovered a new sense of artistic freedom. Two years later he moved to Los Angeles where he settled with his partner Peter Schlesinger. He did not return to England until 1968. After his relationship with Schlesinger broke down he moved to Paris but eventually returned to California where he has lived permanently since 1978. He was made a Companion of Honour in 1997.

Work: Hockney was always keen to experiment with styles and media. At the Royal College of Art he explored abstract art but then moved towards more figurative painting. He painted in acrylic as well as oils, produced many drawings and prints. In 1961, after his first visit to the US, he made a series of prints to reflect his experiences. Based on Hogarth's Rake's Progress, this work was well received and boosted his reputation. Most of his paintings in the late 1960s and early 1970s were naturalistic and represented people and places as they really were. His interest in photography developed into photo collage where he fitted together thousands of prints to make large-scale pictures. He also used fax and colour laser printers as artistic media. Hockney's interest in a wide range of arts led him into designing sets for the theatre, opera and ballet.

Find out more:
www.davidhockney.com
www.en.wikipedia.org
www.saltsmill.org.uk

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