In The Footsteps of Pioneering Artist David Hockney

1. Where better to start a Hockney pilgrimage than in his hometown of Bradford? The Cartwright Hall Art Gallery is located in Lister Park, just outside the city centre, and is home to The David Hockney Gallery. Here, you’ll find a large public collection of his early works, with an emphasis on his Yorkshire roots, as well as a new permanent exhibition dedicated to his distinctive style, which was opened in 2017 to celebrate the artist’s 80th birthday. 

2. Many of Hockney’s best-known works can be viewed for free on the north side of the Thames, at the Tate Britain - among them his portrait of designers Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, entitled Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy (1970 - 71) and of his mother and father, in My Parents (1977). The artist created a number of works based on swimming pools in California, and two of the most iconic are on display here: Peter Getting out of Nick’s Pool (1966) and the unmistakable A Bigger Splash (1967) - often considered his most famous piece. 

3. Not only can you see how Californian pools inspired Hockney - at the Hollywood Roosevelt, you can swim in one that he painted, in 1988, with sweeping blue curves. The story goes that Hockney came to the hotel when the pool was empty, armed with a paint brush tied to a broom handle - and that his artwork came to dancing life under the movement of water when the pool was refilled. Even if you’re not staying at the hotel, you can usually buy a day pass if a private event isn’t booked.

4. Until August 14th, New York City’s The Pace Gallery has David Hockney: The Moon Room, which features images of the night sky in Normandy, iPad-rendered by the artist while quarantining in 2020. Featuring 15 different works, the exhibition demonstrates Hockney’s ability to move between mediums, as well as his enduring fascination with light and cyclical patterns of nature. Of the role of the iPad in this series, he said “Once, when we were just sitting outside the house, we put all the lights off in the house to see the moonlight more clearly. The moon could then be seen to cast shadows of the trees on the grass, so with my backlit iPad, I could draw it. This would have been virtually impossible without it.”

5. Further proof of Hockney’s extraordinary versatility can be seen at London’s Westminster Abbey, where his only stained glass work was unveiled in 2018. Occupying a window in the north transept, side by side with traditional stained glass, The Queen’s Window was commissioned to celebrate the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and is a bright representation of the English countryside. 

6. Formerly a textile mill, The UNESCO-listed Salts Mill has been repurposed as an important cultural hub for Yorkshire, Hockney’s home county. Here, visitors will find the world’s largest permanent collection of works by the artist, with occasional temporary exhibitions in place, too. Currently on display is 20 Flowers for 2025 and Some Bigger Pictures, a combination of 20 iPad flower paintings and large-scale works. There’s also a six-screen video installation showing Hockney’s artistry at work on ‘10th – 22nd June 2021, Water Lilies in the Pond with Pots of Flowers.’ The exhibition runs until January 17, 2027.

7. You only have a few weeks left to head to The Serpentine in London, where A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts About Painting runs until August 23. Inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, the work is a celebration of the changing seasons observed by Hockney from his home in Normandy; a 90-metre frieze constructed from around 100 different digital images. Created specifically for this space, A Year in Normandie creates a conversation between the landscape captured in France and the landscape of Kensington Gardens, outside. 

8. Australia’s National Gallery, in the country’s capital, Canberra - about a three hour drive south of Sydney - holds the nation’s largest collection of Hockney’s works, including A Bigger Grand Canyon. At 7.4m wide, it’s a fitting addition in a country so known for its vastness. Almost one thousand other works are held here and, significantly, many of these form part of the Kenneth E. Tyler print collection. Hockney's partnership with the printmaker spanned over thirty years, and he produced work at all of Tyler’s four studios. From 5 September 2026 until 14 February 2027, the gallery will also host David Hockney: Portraits in Print, documenting the artist’s relationships with his subjects in a variety of artistic styles.