Hockney helped to create new art show in home city

A new exhibition celebrating the work of David Hockney in his home city had input from the globally renowned artist prior to his death, its curator said.

Hockney, who died in June aged 88, was involved in approving the inclusion of new works in the reopened David Hockney Gallery at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery.

Curator Jill Iredale said there was now an "additional poignancy" to the show, which is free to enter and runs until 21 October 2029.

Visitors to the gallery in Manningham will be able to see some of Hockney's choices, including images of his French home in Normandy made using sketches and an inkjet printer.

Iredale said: "We were always planning to put in a refreshed exhibition after the Bradford City of Culture celebrations.

"We were working with the artist on how to update the narrative of the exhibition, include some new up-to-date works.

"Obviously the artist's passing during this process has added an additional poignancy to the display you can see here."

King Charles III was among the thousands who visited the gallery to see Hockney's work during Bradford 2025.

Hockney was born in Eccleshill, Bradford in 1937 and attended Wellington Primary School before heading to Bradford Grammar School in Heaton.

He studied at the Bradford School of Art between the ages of 16 and 20.

Hockney moved to London to study at the Royal College of Art in 1959 and later became one of the leading figures in the British pop art movement.

Discussing the works in the exhibition, Iredale said: "We've got some new digital iPad drawing works.

"We've got an opportunity to see some of the original drawings from the 1950s when David was at Bradford School of Art."

The David Hockney Foundation had loaned drawings and photos for the exhibition.

"Some of them include archival photos of him painting swimming pools," Iredale said.

"Some of them are pictures of his dogs."

She added: "We've got a whole selection based on his studio, his house and the grounds from when he was living in Normandy during the Covid pandemic."

The exhibition also features unusual uses of his work in a 1989 phone book, along with his tribute to Pablo Picasso after the Spanish artist's death in 1973.

The David Hockney Gallery was originally opened in 2017 to mark his 80th birthday.

In a statement from Hockney in 2017, he said: "I used to love going to Cartwright Hall as a kid. It was the only place in Bradford I could see real paintings."

Councillor Ian Walker, Bradford Council's executive member for neighbourhoods and communities, said: "David Hockney is one of Bradford's most famous sons and his loss was felt here in his home city and around the world.

"Bringing these works together with Hockney's own connection to Cartwright Hall gives visitors a special opportunity to see where the story of one of Britain's greatest artists began."

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