David Hockney

In a 2011 poll of more than 1,000 British artists, David Hockney (1937–2026) was voted the most influential British artist of all time. He produced work in almost every medium – painting, drawing, stage design, photography, printmaking and digital technology – and stretched the boundaries of all of them. Born in Bradford, England, Hockney attended art school in London before moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s, where he created his famous swimming pool paintings. At a press conference once, he was asked what his art was saying to people. He answered, 'Nothing specific: just love life.'