Los Angeles is celebrating the life and legacy of David Hockney, the groundbreaking artist whose vibrant paintings helped define the city’s image around the world. Earlier today, his publicist announced that the Bradford-born painter passed away peacefully at home on June 11, 2026, one month shy of his 89th birthday.
Few artists have captured Los Angeles quite like David Hockney. Since arriving in Southern California in the 1960s, Hockney transformed swimming pools, palm trees, canyon roads, and modernist architecture into unforgettable works that captured the optimism, color, and creativity of Los Angeles.
While several of his most famous paintings now reside in private collections, Los Angeles remains one of the best places in the world to experience Hockney’s work firsthand. From sprawling landscapes inspired by the Hollywood Hills to vibrant portraits and experimental photography, these are some of the must-see Hockney works currently held by L.A.-area institutions.
Here are 10 David Hockney works you can see in Los Angeles right now:
1. Nichols Canyon (1980)
One of Hockney’s most celebrated Los Angeles paintings, Nichols Canyon transforms the winding roads of the Hollywood Hills into a dazzling maze of color and movement. The massive canvas captures the energy and geography of the city unlike almost any other artwork.
📍Where to see it: The Broad, Downtown Los Angeles.
2. A Lawn Being Sprinkled (1967)
This quintessential California scene turns a simple suburban lawn into a vibrant study of sunlight, water, and geometry. It perfectly captures the Southern California lifestyle that fascinated Hockney.
📍Where to see it: LACMA.
3. Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio (1980)
Inspired by one of Los Angeles’ most iconic roads, this panoramic painting celebrates the sprawling landscape that became central to Hockney’s California years.
📍Where to see it: Getty Research Institute collections and periodically featured in major Southern California exhibitions.
4. Pearblossom Hwy., 11–18th April 1986, #2 (1986)
One of Hockney’s most groundbreaking photographic collages, this work reimagines the California desert through hundreds of photographs assembled into a single image.
📍Where to see it: Getty Museum collections and rotating photography exhibitions.
5. Hotel Acatlán: First Day (1984–85)
Although created in Mexico, this vibrant work demonstrates the same bold color palette and spatial experimentation that defined Hockney’s California paintings.
📍Where to see it: LACMA.
6. Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy (1968)
This intimate double portrait captures two influential figures in Los Angeles cultural history and remains one of Hockney’s most acclaimed portrait paintings.
📍Where to see it: LACMA.
7. Walking Past Two Chairs (1984)
Part of Hockney’s innovative photographic “joiners” series, this work explores movement and perception in ways that challenged traditional photography.
📍Where to see it: Getty Museum collections.
8. The Blue Guitar Series (1976–77)
Inspired by Wallace Stevens’ poetry and Pablo Picasso’s artistic innovations, this suite of prints showcases Hockney’s mastery of printmaking and experimentation.
📍Where to see it: Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena.
9. Bora Bora (1964)
Painted shortly after Hockney’s arrival in California, this colorful work hints at the bright palette and sun-drenched imagery that would soon define his West Coast years.
📍Where to see it: Hammer Museum collections.
10. David Hockney Photographs and Digital Works
Beyond painting, Hockney became a pioneer of photography, fax art, and iPad drawing. Several Los Angeles institutions regularly feature these innovative works in rotating exhibitions.
📍Where to see them: The Getty, LACMA, Hammer Museum, and The Broad.
Where to experience more Hockney in L.A.
Even when specific works rotate off view, Los Angeles remains one of the best cities in the world to explore Hockney’s legacy. Institutions such as LACMA, The Broad, The Getty Center, The Getty Museum, The Hammer Museum, and the Norton Simon Museum frequently display works from their collections or host exhibitions that highlight his extraordinary career.
More than any other artist, Hockney helped create the visual language of modern Los Angeles. Through swimming pools, canyon roads, modern architecture, and brilliant California light, he showed the world a city that was vibrant, optimistic, and endlessly creative. Decades later, his vision of Los Angeles remains just as vivid as ever.
