Tate Britain David Hockney

Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) 1971

As David Hockney approaches his 80th birthday, the Tate Britain celebrates his vast and varied body of work in the largest retrospective to date. From his most famous works, the vibrant, geometric images of Los Angeles swimming pools through to the avant-garde, intimate scenes depicted by the painter in his 20s when he was struggling to assert his identity in 1960s homophobic Britain, to his photographs, Yorkshire landscapes and most recent, heavily saturated pastoral scenes, the exhibition charts the artist’s extraordinary career and influence. Above all, it’s Hockney’s unique perspective that’s most captivating. Hockney’s world is constantly fluid, moving between being bright to the point of almost gaudy, abstract and surreal to something more contained, pure and linear. Whatever the version, it’s energetic, hopeful and full of life.

David Hockney runs until 29th May 2017 at Tate Britain, Millbank, London