British artist David Hockney dies aged 88

British artist David Hockney, considered one of the most influential and defining figures in contemporary art, whose paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, has died aged 88, his public relations agent has announced.

Describing Hockney 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 yesterday, a month before his 89th birthday.

It added: "David Hockney's 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."