The first public memorial service celebrating the life and work of David Hockney will take place in London in spring 2027, according to a statement released by the artist’s representatives. In accordance with the artist’s wishes, Hockney’s official funeral, which took place last week, had only two guests: his partner, Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, and his great-nephew, Richard Hockney. Both mourners are trustees of the David Hockney Foundation, which is dedicated to the preservation, exhibition, and publication of the artist’s work. As well as the London service in 2027, additional memorials will follow in Yorkshire, Paris, and Los Angeles at later dates.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after the death of Hockney, who died peacefully at home at the age of 88. Over a career spanning more than six decades, the British artist became one of the most influential and widely recognized figures in contemporary art, known for paintings, drawings, photographs, and digital works that chronicled people and landscapes with uncommon optimism.
Since his death, there has been an outpouring of appreciation for Hockney from the art world and beyond. King Charles III, for example, paid tribute to his “dear friend,” and Tracey Emin called him “a proud chain-smoking homosexual who flew the flag higher than any other British artist.”
The choice of memorial locations reflects the international arc of Hockney’s life and career. Born in Bradford, he remained deeply connected to Yorkshire throughout his life, even as Los Angeles became synonymous with some of his most celebrated paintings. France also played a significant role in his later years and artistic practice.
Hockney rose to prominence in the 1960s and became known for works that ranged from his iconic California swimming pool paintings to intimate portraits of people and dogs. He captured Yorkshire and France in monumental landscapes and undertook ambitious experiments with collaged photography.
Late in life, he adopted digital technology for his artworks, in his iPad drawings. Throughout his career, he embraced new ways of making images while remaining committed to what he often described as “the act of looking.”
