David Hockney’s funeral held in private with just two mourners | David Hockney
Only two people attended David Hockney’s funeral last week, in line with the British artist’s dying wishes.
The two mourners at the private ceremony were Hockney’s partner Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, 61, and his great-nephew Richard Hockney, 33, a photographer who worked as the artist’s assistant and frequently modeled for him. Both are on the board of trustees of the David Hockney Foundation, which the artist founded in 2008.
When The Splash’s pioneering painter died peacefully at home on June 11, aged 88, Keir Starmer and King Charles were among those who paid tribute to his “vivid, instantly recognisable” work and his “irrepressible charm, talent and constant innovation”.
Although Hockney wanted his funeral to be an intimate ceremony, journalist Erica Bolton announced that his life and work would be celebrated with a series of memorial services in places where he lived around the world, including London and Yorkshire.
Bolton said: “We were touched by your tributes, which meant so much to us, and wanted to thank you.
“As we have already received so many questions about David Hockney’s funeral arrangements and memorial services, we would like to clarify that it was David’s express wish that only his partner JP and great-nephew Richard attend his funeral and that their privacy be respected.
“The funeral has already taken place.
“We can also announce that, in line with David’s wishes, the first memorial service to celebrate David’s life and work will be held in London in spring 2027, followed by memorial services in Yorkshire, Paris and Los Angeles at later dates.”
He added that many of Hockney’s works in his private collection will be given to foundations and public institutions around the world “to keep his legacy alive.”
Hockney refused a knighthood in 1990, and 13 years later in 2003 he said in an interview with his local newspaper: Bradford’s Telegraph and Argushe explained why: “I don’t care about the fuss,” he said. “I don’t value rewards of any kind. I value my friends.”
Hockney is thought to have created an estimated 35,000 works of art during his six-decade career. Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth’s window at Westminster Abbey in London, where his memorial service will likely be held.
He has donated nearly 8,000 works to his foundation, with a total value of more than £1bn in 2024.
The free exhibition David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts on Painting is on view at London’s Serpentine until 23 August.
There will be two further exhibitions of Hockney’s work next year: at Tate Britain and at the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern.
Last week at Art Basel, there was a surge in demand for the artist’s works; here buyers were given one of the first chances to acquire his works in person since his death.
Clare McAndrew, author of Art Basel and the US Global Art Market Report He told the Observer There was a “supply grab” for Hockney’s paintings, with demand reportedly increasing by more than 1,200% within 48 hours of his death.
