British art has lost a giant: reactions to the death of David Hockney
Tributes and Reactions from Public Figures
June 12 (Reuters) - The British painter, who died on Thursday, was celebrated as an "endlessly inventive artist" with "a unique vision of the world".
Royal Tribute
KING CHARLES
"My wife and I were greatly saddened to learn of the death of David Hockney O.M., a giant of the world of art and painting, a Yorkshireman through and through and a dear friend and inspiration to so many," Britain's Charles III wrote on X.
"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. 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."
Political Leaders Respond
SADIQ KHAN
"A true icon and revolutionary of British art who never stopped reinventing his work," the mayor of London wrote on X. "From his training at the Royal College of Art in the early 60s to blockbuster London retrospectives, David Hockney has inspired millions. His vivid paintings of our changing seasons helped me see the beauty and fragility of our natural world - and why it must be protected. I know his legacy will live on for centuries to come."
LISA NANDY
The UK's culture minister called Hockney "a true titan of British art".
"Born and educated in Bradford, his paintings have inspired people across the world ever since his first exhibition in 1963," she added on X. "His boundless creativity and restless spirit leave behind a powerful legacy."
TRACY BRABIN
"David Hockney was quite simply one of Yorkshire's finest," the mayor of West Yorkshire, the English county where Hockney was born, wrote on X.
"A Bradford boy who changed the art world forever. But words alone don't do David justice. His work, those pioneering pieces that burst onto the scene with vivid colour, changed the trajectory of modern art, and will continue to inspire generations to come."
Art World Reflections
RICHARD MORRIS
"His huge achievement was to make serious painting look effortless," art historian Richard Morris wrote on X. "He carried forward one of the most sustained investigations into vision, space and representation by any post-war artist. British art has lost a giant."
ALEX FARQUHARSON
"David was an endlessly inventive artist, with a unique vision of the world," the director of the Tate Britain museum wrote on Instagram. "He 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.
"The loss to the art world is immense: David's passing brings to a close an extraordinary body of work characterised by reinvention."
Editorial Note
(Editing by Olivier Holmey)
