Legendary British painter David Hockney dies at 88

Describing the iconic painter as 'one of the most important figures in contemporary art in both the 20th and 21st centuries,' his publicist Erica Bolton said in a statement that he had "passed away peacefully at home" in London on Thursday.

In Short

• British artist David Hockney died on Thursday
• No cause of death announced by his publicist
• Hockney died a month before his 89th birthday

Legendary British artist David Hockney, regarded as one of the most influential and defining figures in contemporary art, whose paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, has died at the age of 88, his public relations agent announced on Friday.

Describing the iconic painter as "one of the most important figures in contemporary art in both the 20th and 21st centuries", his publicist Erica Bolton said in a statement that he had "passed away peacefully at home" in London on Thursday, a month before his 89th birthday.

No cause of death was given.

"His seven-decade career and prolific oeuvre was characterised by his multi-media approach in image making, an intellectual inquiry into the nature of depiction and perspective, and a sustained commitment to celebrating and portraying the world around him," Bolton's statement, cited by news agency AFP, read.

According to the agent, Hockney is survived by his long-time partner and companion Jean-Pierre Goncalves de Lima, two brothers and "numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews."

DAVID HOCKNEY'S LIFE AND LEGACY

Hockney was born to a clerk father and a devout Methodist mother in northern England's Bradford in 1937. His rebellious nature was apparent from his days as an art student.

Hockney used titles such as "Going to be a Queen for Tonight" and "Doll Boy" for his abstract paintings at a time when homosexuality was punishable by prison in the United Kingdom.

In 1959, he left Bradford for London to continue his studies of art. There he emerged as one of the most prominent faces of the British pop art movement in the 1960s.

Hockney, however, yearned for the excitement he saw in the work of American artists. Hence, he visited New York for the first time in 1961 using the money he earned from the sale of his art.

In the US, he became friends with artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol. Three years later, Hockney moved to California.

"I thought people who produced such work must live in colour, so I went in search of it," the British artist is quoted as saying, referring to the work of American artists, in a biography written by art critic and friend Peter Adam.

"I had spent the first 20 years of my life in the gothic gloom of the North. Here I felt free," he had said.

Hockney's paintings depicting swimming pools and naked men in showers went on to become icons of a sun-drenched lifestyle that he documented with luminous acrylic paint.

Throughout his career, he was acclaimed worldwide as a painter and master draughtsman, and he continued to paint, experiment, and exhibit his work until his death.

- Ends
(With inputs from agencies)