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Is David Hockney the Most Important Living Artist?

2 Jul 2025

As David Hockney celebrates his 87th 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?

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1. A Relentless Innovator

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.

“He’s the rare artist who’s managed to stay ahead of the curve without ever feeling like he’s chasing relevance.”

— The Guardian

David Hockney, Untitled No. 516

2. A Master of Colour, Space, and Joy

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.

David Hockney, A Bigger Splash

3. Art Market Powerhouse

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.

David Hockney, Portrait of an Artist [Pool with Two Figures]

4. A Cultural Icon

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.

5. Still Making Work — and Headlines

While many of his contemporaries have slowed down or passed away, Hockney remains prolific. In 2021, he unveiled a 292-ft-long frieze at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, titled 'A Year in Normandie' drawn entirely on an iPad. It was a defiant celebration of spring — and of life itself.

David Hockney, A Year in Normandie – (detail)

So… Is He the Greatest?

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.

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David Hockney

Henry Geldzahler with Hat

1976
Lithograph on paper
Edition of 96
Signed and numbered by the artist
31cm x 36cm
Sold framed

£6,950

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Henry Geldzahler is best remembered for his tenure at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York, where he served from 1960 to 1977. He was the museum’s first Curator for 20th-Century Art, a bold move at the time for such a traditionally classical institution. Hockney found in Geldzahler not just a friend, but a brilliant mind and a powerful critic who could offer rare insight.

David Hockney

iPad Drawing No. 610, 23rd December

2010-2019
iPad drawing, 8-colour inkjet print on cotton-fiber archival paper
Edition of 250
Signed, numbered and dated by the artist
43cm x 56cm
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£24,000

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If your offer is not accepted, the authorization is cancelled and funds released.
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The artist says about his series of iPad drawings: "I love drawing on an iPad and I thought it was a terrific medium. Everything is at your fingertips and there is no cleaning up. There is an a huge artistic potential and I saw a new medium. I don't care about trends.”

David Hockney

220 for 2020. Art Edition No. 201–300 ‘Two Chairs and Rain on Window’

2019
Inkjet print on paper
Edition of 100
Signed and numbered
103cm x 46cm

£35,000

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How it Works

Making an Offer means you are committing to buying the artwork.
Complete the checkout providing contact, shipping and payment details.
For artworks over £10,000 you can make a deposit payment of 10%.
Payment is authorised only, but not taken until the offer is reviewed.
If your offer is accepted, we will take the payment and send you confirmation.
If your offer is not accepted, the authorization is cancelled and funds released.
Your order will then be processed and you will be contacted about shipping as usual.

Lockdowns in 2020 became the norm across the world. During this time Hockney was on lockdown in Normandy, and closely followed the changing seasons by depicting the scenes on his IPad. Titled 220 of 2020, this project became a lifeline for him and he give a message of hope; “Remember they can't cancel the spring.”

Madeleine White

Senior Sales and Acquisitions

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