David Hockney, the celebrated British artist who made Los Angeles his home, died Thursday at 88. The Los Angeles Times published a tribute highlighting five of his most iconic artworks that capture the city's sun-drenched landscapes, including "Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio" (1980), "A Bigger Splash" (1967), "American Collectors (Fred and Marcia Weisman)" (1968), and "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" (1972). These works, drawn from museum collections such as LACMA and the J. Paul Getty Trust, epitomize Hockney's signature style of glittering pools, rolling hills, and lush foliage.
This matters because Hockney was one of the most influential and prolific artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, whose work defined the visual identity of Los Angeles for a global audience. His death marks the end of an era, and the selection of these five works serves as a concise retrospective of his career, highlighting his mastery of color, scale, and the interplay between landscape and human presence. The article also underscores the cultural significance of his depictions of gay love and everyday life in California.