JUNE 2026 – The British artist, writer and general creative David Hockney died earlier this month, age 88. And quite naturally dozens of obituaries were sent out by media outlets worldwide. But no obituary quite captured the spirit and life of Hockney quite like that penned by the NYT art critic Holland Cotter, who seemed to have a special understanding of his subject. Hockney spent his adult life – much in the late 20th Century, then in ferment of classicism vs. modernism – bridging those divides, an artistic iconoclast who defended or promoted what was out of style.
In the politically charged atmosphere of the 1990s art world, this pedigree and Mr. Hockney’s disdainful rejection of the avant-garde felt out of date. But with the return to favor of painting — and figuration — in the early 21st century, he regained some footing.
Even if much of his late output looks like busywork, some of his early paintings are lastingly moving. “My Parents,” from 1977, is one of them. In it, his mother sits erect but relaxed, looking attentively and cooperatively toward the artist; his father, though dressed in a suit, bends intently and nearsightedly over a book, unable or unwilling to hold a formal pose. It is a tender picture about the failure of communication, and the loving acceptance of that.
Cotter won a Pulitzer Prize for his art commentary in 2009.
The most popular reader comment attached to Hockney’s obituary:
It is always incredibly heavy when a truly exceptional artist passes away. Their departure leaves a massive void in the creative world, but there is a profound comfort in knowing that their art is permanent.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/arts/design/david-hockney-dead.html