David Hockney, artist known for bold paintings and gay icon, dies at 88

David Hockney, the English painter whose flat, sun-drenched scenes of Los Angeles made him a pop art icon and a symbol of gay visibility, died Thursday at his London home. He was 88.

Publicist Erica Bolton confirmed the death. She did not provide a cause.

Hockney was born in 1937 in Yorkshire. He rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s by rejecting the era's conceptualist style for bold, colorful works that often celebrated gay life. At the time, homosexuality was still a crime in England. His willingness to depict it openly made him a figurehead for gay rights.

After early success in London, he moved to the United States. He lived in New York briefly before settling in Los Angeles, which became the backdrop for many of his most recognizable paintings. He taught at UCLA, where he met Peter Schlesinger, a student who became his long-term partner and frequent model.

Hockney never stuck to one medium. He painted sprawling portraits, built kaleidoscopic photo collages, designed stage sets, and in later years created digital art on an iPad. He returned to Europe often and kept producing work into his 80s.

He is survived by his partner, Jean-Pierre Goncalves de Lima, and brothers Philip and John Hockney.