Just Two Mourners Attend David Hockney’s Funeral

Just Two Mourners Attend David Hockney’s Funeral

Only two mourners were present at the funeral of renowned British figurative painterDavid Hockney, whodied June 11at the age of eighty-eightThe Guardianreports. In accordance with the artist’s wishes, Hockney’s partner, Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, and his great-nephew, photographer Richard Hockney, who worked as his model and assistant, attended the intimate ceremony, held last week.

The painter’s death was greeted with an outpouring of tributes from around the globe. His publicist, Erica Bolton, toldThe Guardianthat her office had been “overwhelmed” by tributes, and that several forthcoming memorial services would be held in Hockney’s honor.

“As we have already received so many inquiries about David Hockney’s funeral arrangements and memorials, we would like to clarify that it was David’s clear wish that his funeral should be attended only by his partner, JP, and his great-nephew Richard, and that their privacy would be respected. The funeral has already taken place,” Bolton told The Independent.

“Also in accordance with David’s wishes, we are able to announce that the first memorial service to celebrate David’s life and work will be held in London in spring 2027, followed at later dates by memorials in Yorkshire, Paris and Los Angeles.” The Guardian speculated that the London event would take place at Westminster Abbey, home to a stained-glass window the artist designed in homage to Elizabeth II.

An exhibition of Hockney’s work is on view through August 23 at Serpentine in London; solo shows are planned at two other London institutions—Tate Britain and Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall—next year.

Hockney is believed to have created some thirty-five thousand works over his lifetime. At the time of his death, he was one of the world’s most expensive living artists. Clare McAndrew, who authors the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, told The Observer that demand for his paintings had surged more than 1,200 percent in the forty-eight hours following his passing.