Is David Hockney the Most Important Living Artist?

As David Hockney celebrates his 88th birthday, the question looms large: is he the most important living artist today? Born in Bradford in 1937, Hockney has been pushing boundaries for more than six decades. From the sun-soaked swimming pools of LA to iPad drawings of East Yorkshire, his work is as instantly recognisable as it is endlessly reinvented. But what makes him so significant — and does he deserve the top spot?

Few artists have remained as creatively restless as Hockney. He embraced photography in the '80s, iPads in the 2010s, and continues to exhibit internationally into his late 80s. Hockney doesn’t follow trends — he sets them, and often decades in advance.

From A Bigger Splash to his digital Yosemite landscapes, Hockney’s work radiates optimism, intimacy, and innovation. He redefined how we look at light and space often flattening perspective or playfully distorting time. His style is unmistakable, but it’s never stagnant.

Hockney held the title for the most expensive work ever sold by a living artist (Portrait of an Artist [Pool with Two Figures] sold for $90.3 million at Christie’s in 2018). His pieces continue to dominate both primary and secondary markets.For collectors, institutions, and investors, Hockney is as blue-chip as it gets.

As an openly gay man in the 1960s, Hockney paved the way for generations of queer artists. His personal life and politics have always infused his practice — subtly, defiantly, or playfully. His art isn’t just beautiful — it’s meaningful.

While many of his contemporaries have slowed down or passed away, Hockney remains prolific. In 2025, he unveiled David Hockney 25 at the Louis Vuitton Foundation.

That depends on how you define “important.” But if it means boundary breaking, culture-shifting, joy sparking, and globally beloved then yes, Hockney might just be it.