David Hockney Biography

Learn about British pop artist and critic David Hockney by reading this biography.
Grades:
3 |
4 |
5
Themes:
Artist

Born: 9 July 1937
Birthplace: Bradford, England
Best known as: British pop artist and critic

David Hockney became internationally famous in the early 1960s as one of the leaders of the pop art movement in the United Kingdom. He emigrated to the United States and was known for his "swimming pool" paintings during the '60s, for elaborate stage sets during the '70s and for photo collages during the '80s. In recent years he has gained more attention for his book Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Techniques of the Old Masters (2001), in which he advanced the theory that as early as 1420 art masters were using optical devices to assist them in their work.

Extra credit: One of his most famous paintings -- thanks to poster sales -- is "Nichols Canyon," which can be seen here.

Copyright © 1998-2006 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved.

Enrichment Activities

  • Review art terms and their definitions.
  • Test pupils knowledge of art movements throughout history with a quiz.
  • Have children create a piece of artwork in the style of David Hockney.
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