David Hockney

Nato nel 1937 in una piccola città nel Nord dell'Inghilterra, David Hockney ha dovuto lottare per affermarsi come artista. Dopo aver lasciato la sua casa a Bradford per il Royal College of Art di Londra, la sua carriera conosce un'impennata. Eppure, il giovane David non riesce a superare un profondo senso di inadeguatezza dovuto alla sua omosessualità, nemmeno lontanamente accettata nella società di quei tempi, e all'inclinazione per un'arte figurativa considerata non abbastanza contemporanea. È soltanto oltreoceano, prima a New York e poi in California - dove inizia a dipingere le sue celebri piscine - che Hockney trova finalmente la propria libertà. Sono anni di edonismo, di eccessi e di amori, come quello per Peter, suo studente e modello..

It has been the site of royal weddings, funerals and nearly every British coronation since 1066, Westminster Abbey is also known as a Royal Peculiar - a church controlled not by a bishop but by the monarch herself. Crowned there 65 years ago, Queen Elizabeth II is now the world's longest-reigning monarch and to celebrate, Westminster Abbey has commissioned an historic new work - a towering stained-glass window. The artist behind it is David Hockney - who famously refused a knighthood and declined an invitation to paint the Queen's portrait because he was too busy painting landscapes in Yorkshire.

He is one of the great surviving icons of the 1960s and arguably the most popular British artist of the 20th century. David Hockney's career started with almost instant success, and despite private struggles with his art, relationships, and the tragedy of AIDS, he continued to explore, experiment, and create masterpieces in a variety of mediums. Take a deeply personal look into the life, career, and creative mind of this versatile genius in a portrait that, like its subject, is funny, inspiring, bold, and visionary.

Martin Gayford’s masterful account of painting in London from the Second World War to the 1970s, illustrated by documentary photographs and the works themselves