Paul McCartney wanted to remember his friend David Hockney, one of the greatest British artists of the twentieth century, who died this week at the age of 88. Hockney, born in Bradford, passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday 11 June, a month shy of his 89th birthday. A central figure in British art and among the great names of pop art, he signed paintings that have become symbols of the century, such as A Bigger Splash And Portrait of an Artist. It is above all his blue, sun-kissed Californian swimming pools that have transformed him into a star of contemporary art.
Among the many friendships born over the years there was also the one with the former Beatle, who greeted him with a very personal memory on Instagram, next to a photo of the two arm in arm. “David Hockney was an incredible friend and painter,” McCartney wrote. “I met him in the 1960s and we remained friends until his death on Thursday 11 June. He was intelligent, witty and wonderful to be around. His paintings often conveyed a feeling of great joy.”
The musician then recalled the visits to his studios: “Nancy and I loved going to visit him in his studios in California, where we would take a drive along Mulholland Drive, the street that he made famous all over the world again with his extraordinary paintings.” And again, on the London studio full of newly finished paintings: “He spoke about his works and his very particular ideas about art. He was convinced that it was important to see in the right way. He didn't like perspective and was always busy inventing new ways of looking at the world.” An inveterate smoker and proud of it, Macca recalls: “We will miss his extraordinary personality, his dry humor and his cultured way of looking at the world. Rest in peace, David. We love you.”
Jools Holland also pays homage to McCartney's memory, sharing a photo of herself sitting with him, Hockney, Elton John and Tom Hanks at the exhibition Bigger & Closer. “He told me that a critic had said: why does Hockney start making landscapes? That's dead art” writes Holland. “And he replied: landscapes are nature, and nature doesn't fucking die.”
Harry Styles also paid tribute to the artist during the first of his evenings at Wembley, Friday 12 June. The singer, who had been portrayed by Hockney for a work exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in 2023, had a phrase from the artist appear on the big screens: “What an artist tries to do for people is bring them closer to something, because obviously art is about sharing. You wouldn't be an artist if you didn't want to share an experience, a thought”.
