Recommendations of the Editorial team
After the death of the great British artist David Hockney, Paul McCartney remembered his long-time friend with honest words. The former Beatle praised the painter, who died at the weekend shortly before his 89th birthday, as an “incredible artist” whose work and impact accompanied him for decades.
Hockney died on June 11th at his home in London. The Bradford-born artist was considered one of the defining figures of the 20th century UK art scene.
With works such as “A Bigger Splash” and “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” he wrote art history and influenced “les beaux-arts” far beyond Great Britain.
McCartney is reminiscent of a fun-loving friend
McCartney posted a photo together on Instagram and recalled a friendship that goes back to the beginnings of the Beatles in Liverpool and Hamburg in the early 1960s.
Hockney was “smart, funny and a wonderful person,” wrote the original Beatle. Hockney’s colorful, figurative paintings always radiated joy of life.
Personal encounters in the studio and everyday life
Macca also described personal encounters, from visits to his London studio to chats together in California.
He was particularly impressed by Hockney’s tireless curiosity for new forms of expression. Whether painting, drawing, film or digital work on the iPad: As the son of a pacifist accountant and a strict religious mother, he was always involved in new technologies and used them masterfully.
Headstrong character with a dry sense of humor
At the same time it was reminiscent of Hockney’s idiosyncratic character. With a wink, he reported on a shared train trip to Bridlington in Yorkshire, during which Hockney picked up his guests from the station in a “smoke-filled car.”
The artist was a staunch advocate of individual freedoms and always represented his views with dry humor.
“We will miss his extraordinary personality, his laconic wit and his clever thoughts on how to look at the world,” McCartney concluded. “Rest in peace, David. We love you.”
More voices of farewell
Other companions also said goodbye. Musician and TV presenter Jools Holland recalled Hockney’s passion for landscape painting and quoted his pointed response to critics who thought the genre was outdated: “Landscapes are nature – and nature doesn’t fucking die anytime soon.”
Hockney’s importance also extended beyond the visual arts. Harry Styles also expressed his condolences as a greeting note at his concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. A quote from Hockney appeared on the video screens, summing up his creative self-image:
“You are not an artist without a strong desire to share an experience or a thought.”