Happy birthday to David Hockney

born on 9 July
Jul 9, 2025
Happy birthday to David Hockney

A Celebration in Three Works

David Hockney, Untitled (Sprinklers), 1976

David Hockney, Untitled (Sprinklers), 1976

 
The chromogenic print Untitled (Sprinklers) demonstrates the artist’s experimentation with photographic processes during the 1970s. The cropped image of a sprinkler system bathed in warm Californian sunlight creates a distinctly domestic picture of American suburban life, a subject that often captured Hockney’s interest. Beneath its apparent simplicity lies his playful approach to visual storytelling, encouraging viewers to reconsider their perceptions of time and memory. This period marked his gradual move away from pure painting and towards a more multidisciplinary practice, with photography playing a pivotal role.
David Hockney, Panama Hat with a Bow Tie on a Chair, 1998

David Hockney, Panama Hat with a Bow Tie on a Chair, 1998

 

By 1998, Hockney had returned to printmaking with renewed vigour. Panama Hat with a Bow Tie on a Chair reflects both his deep affection for portraiture and his mastery of etching and aquatint. The careful arrangement of hat and bowtie on an empty chair alludes to the sitter’s presence through absence—a tender symbol of loss and memory. This composition showcases Hockney’s ability to use everyday objects to evoke powerful emotions and layered meanings.

David Hockney, Waiting at York 180, 2010

David Hockney, Waiting at York 180, 2010

 

Hockney’s iPad drawings represent a radical departure from traditional artistic methods. In Waiting at York 180, the artist harnesses the immediacy and spontaneity of digital tools to embrace bold colour, gesture, and stylised form. While contemporary in execution, the scene retains the timeless quality of Hockney’s early work. It is a testament to his fearless engagement with new media, continuing to explore how we see and what we choose to record.


These three works—spanning photography, printmaking, and digital drawing—demonstrate the remarkable arc of David Hockney’s career: one defined not by a singular style, but by an enduring curiosity and willingness to evolve.
Whether with a camera, an etching needle, or an iPad, Hockney continues to push the boundaries of how we interpret visual language. As we celebrate his 87th birthday, we honour not only a master of post-war and contemporary art, but a restless innovator whose work continues to challenge, delight, and inspire.