Personal Tributes from the Monarch and Public Figures

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.”

Artistic Legacy and Innovation

Over his seven-decade career, Hockney was famous for his vibrant and new artworks, including scenes 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,” the King said.

“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,” he added.

Enduring Influence and Exhibitions

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.

Farquharson also praised “his astonishing talent, his love for art and life, and his profound and unconventional insights”, adding: “His work continues to influence our culture, far beyond the art world.”

Hockney was also a major figure in global art — the Pompidou Centre in Paris, which staged two landmark exhibitions, described him as “unquestionably one of the major figures of contemporary art”.

It added that the works he leaves behind remain “dazzling, alive and eternal”.

Announcing his death on Friday, Hockney’s representatives said: “The celebrated British artist David Hockney, one of the most important figures in contemporary art in both the 20th and 21st centuries, passed away peacefully at home on 11 June 2026, one month short of his 89th birthday.”

The statement added that his “enduring legacy reflects his underlying enthusiasm for life, his outstanding sense of humour, his immense generosity, and his investigative curiosity encapsulated by his signature phrase: Love Life.”

The Tate said they would continue to work with Hockney’s team to stage two planned projects next year.

One is a major exhibition at Tate Britain, spanning seven decades of his work, and the other is a multimedia installation in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall bringing his celebrated designs for opera sets to life.

The Tate said its Hockney exhibition in 2017 was the most visited in Tate Britain’s history.

Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, called Hockney “quite simply one of Yorkshire’s finest”.

“A Bradford boy who changed the art world forever — But words alone don’t do David justice. His work. Those leading pieces that burst onto the scene with vivid colour, changed the trajectory of modern art, and will continue to inspire generations to come,” she posted on X.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the artist “a true icon and major of British art who never stopped reinventing his work,” saying his “vivid paintings of our changing seasons helped me see the beauty and fragility of our natural world – and why it must be protected”.