David Hockney’s extraordinary life and work, as seen by Melvyn Bragg

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David Hockney, one of Britain’s most celebrated and influential artists, has died at the age of 88.

David Hockney, a painter originally from Bradford, became famous in the 1960s and 70s for his bright and iconic paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools. He continued to experiment with art throughout his life, later painting scenes of Yorkshire and Normandy, and also working with photography, video, and digital art on his iPad.

In 2023, TopMob interviewed Melvyn Bragg as part of a large Sky Arts tribute to David Hockney. Bragg had filmed Hockney for nearly 50 years, including for The South Bank Show, documenting the artist’s many different periods and styles – from his time in California to Bridlington and Normandy.

Looking back at that conversation, Bragg’s words really stand out. He said, “He’s one of a kind – truly one of the greatest painters of our era.”

I was looking at David Hockney’s portrait of Melvyn Bragg, and it’s fascinating – Bragg is staring right back at it! He told me Hockney is a pretty demanding artist to sit for. Apparently, you have to be completely still, and chatting is definitely out. But Bragg thinks Hockney really got something of him in that painting, and I think he’s right – it feels incredibly present.

The portrait shows a warm and interestingly textured face. Bragg’s slightly crooked right eye suggests his inquisitive nature, and a touch of red at his collar hints at his bold sense of style, all framed by a full head of black hair. Hockney often paints people he doesn’t know well – he recently painted Harry Styles, describing him simply as ‘another person in the studio’ – but this 2010 portrait feels deeply personal, like a gesture of friendship. Hockney even wrote “First try for Melvyn” above his signature.

For almost fifty years, David Hockney and Melvyn Bragg have been painting each other’s portraits, with Hockney doing most of the painting. Hockney has also been the subject of six episodes of The South Bank Show, a cultural program Bragg started in 1978 and later revived on Sky Arts in 2012 – though the program is ending soon. Bragg reflects, “I’m grateful I made those films with him, because his style has evolved so much over the years.”

Very few people have seen such a detailed look into the creative process and evolution of David Hockney’s remarkable career. Now, Hockney, 86, and Melvyn Bragg, 83, are preparing to share their most in-depth conversation yet – a two-part Sky Arts program. It will include interviews and a documentary tracing Hockney’s journey from his beginnings on the streets of 1950s Bradford, through his famous Swimming Pool series painted in Los Angeles, to his current life and work at a converted farmhouse studio in Normandy, where he lives with assistants and a four-acre orchard. According to Bragg, Hockney is incredibly candid. “He doesn’t hold anything back,” he says.

I visited Bragg at his London home, which he shares with his wife, Gabriel, to discuss a significant milestone. Even dressed casually, you can still see glimpses of the flamboyant style that once made him a popular subject for satire. However, he’s not as physically robust as he appears in David Hockney’s portrait. He explains he was very ill for two and a half years, losing a lot of weight and battling several serious cancers and infections, including pneumonia. He describes it as a consequence of a previously unrestrained lifestyle, a kind of reckoning. While still recovering, he’s determined to continue pursuing his passions.

Unlike Esther Rantzen, who recently shared her stage four lung cancer diagnosis, Melvyn Bragg kept his own health issues private. He respects those who choose to go public, saying many women might be inspired by Esther’s courage, but he simply didn’t want to discuss his condition. The news eventually became public because his illness limited his ability to go out and participate in activities. He’s now feeling better, but still experiences significant weakness when walking and feels tired easily in the evenings.

Being tired naturally restricted where Bragg could film and conduct interviews. Long trips to Los Angeles were impossible, but he’d actually been there before, filming at David Hockney’s home near Mulholland Drive in 1983. It was around that time that Hockney developed a new technique called “joining,” where he created large-scale images by combining smaller photographs.

Bragg noticed a contrast in his friend’s life – a hardworking, Northern English ethic combined with a more carefree, West Coast lifestyle. He explains, “He worked hard, and then he’d go out and enjoy himself. I didn’t pry into his personal life.” Bragg adds that America seemed to suit him perfectly, offering a more accepting gay community and a sense of creative freedom. His friend felt America lacked a defining painter, like Venice had with Tintoretto, and saw an opportunity to fill that role.

Works like ‘Splash’ (1966) and ‘Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)’ (1972) quickly made him a well-known artist. One observer noted his incredible dedication, saying, “Watching him made me realize I needed to put much more effort into my own work.”

Twenty-seven years later, while Bragg was visiting Hockney’s home in Bridlington to film a project and pose for a portrait – the one you see today – he noticed a message Hockney had painted near his bed. It simply said ‘Get up and work,’ in various colors. Hockney explained that this was his guiding principle: just get up and start working.

Just after sunrise one morning, Hockney excitedly pulled Bragg along, urging him to head up the hills of the Yorkshire Wolds. “Let’s have breakfast later,” Hockney said. “The morning is too beautiful to waste. It’ll be empty up there – unlike Japan, where everywhere would be crowded. People here have no idea what they’re missing! Come on, let’s go!”

While Bragg was visiting Bridlington, David Hockney was experiencing a renewed burst of creativity. He’d returned to the East Riding coastline where he’d spent summers as a child, and was producing vibrant landscapes, such as ‘Arrival of Spring in Woldgate,’ and innovative video pieces inspired by the surrounding countryside. This period of work resulted in a popular exhibition at London’s Royal Academy in 2012, and was also featured in a special episode of ‘The South Bank Show’.

Just ten years after his previous show, David Hockney returned to the Royal Academy with “The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020,” a vibrant exhibition featuring 116 artworks celebrating the energy of nature. These pieces were all created on his iPad while he was in lockdown, inspired by the garden where he’s experienced a remarkable creative period later in life—a burst of inspiration similar to that of Matisse. Melvyn Bragg believes Hockney’s talent truly merits such a comparison.

He’s truly one of a kind, and arguably the most important painter working today. Interestingly, he’s often more celebrated internationally than he is in England. It seems there’s a tendency here to dismiss bright, cheerful art as superficial. People equate serious, brooding work with substance, while anything joyful is seen as lacking depth. But that’s simply not true – Hockney’s work is far from superficial; it’s substantial and meaningful.

This feels like the closest Bragg will get to a direct confrontation today, and it brings to mind a scene from a documentary where Hockney defiantly protested being told not to smoke, declaring his dislike of being bossed around. The two men share a lot of similarities. Both grew up in working-class Northern England – Hockney in Bradford, Yorkshire, and Bragg in Wigton, Cumbria – and, along with Alan Bennett from Leeds, they represent the last of a remarkable cultural movement that flourished among working-class Northerners in the mid-20th century. Looking back from today’s socially and geographically divided England, it’s hard to imagine such a time.

I’ve always been fascinated by the paths David Hockney and Melvyn Bragg took. Both ended up in London – Hockney went to the Royal College of Art and eventually Los Angeles, while Bragg really built a life here. It’s amazing how he climbed the ladder, starting as a trainee at the BBC and eventually becoming a Lord! He was part of a really innovative team at BBC Monitor in the 60s, and together with Ken Russell, they made some truly groundbreaking arts films – I still remember watching The Debussy Film with Oliver Reed. Then, in 1978, he created The South Bank Show, which was fantastic because it took all art seriously, from pop music to classical painting. The first episode featured Paul McCartney, but he also showcased artists like Hockney, whose LA paintings and that famous portrait of Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy were becoming really well-known at the time.

Though Bragg also has a home in Cumbria, David Hockney is the one who more visibly embraces his Northern roots. He still speaks with the characteristic dry wit of Bradford and has become a major figure in the art world, often sporting a flat cap. Throughout his career, Hockney frequently returned to Yorkshire, especially to paint portraits of his mother, Laura. His parents were devout Methodists; his father, Kenneth, was a conscientious objector during World War II. Living on a street that had been bombed and with many local men fighting in the war, Kenneth faced considerable disapproval and struggled to find work. To support the family – Hockney and his four siblings – Kenneth started a pram repair business in their basement, with Laura helping and managing the household.

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The documentary features David Hockney remembering how his father always added a touch of color to each pram he fixed, and realizing the transformative power of paint. Melvyn Bragg notes that Hockney’s father drew on the kitchen floor as a baby, so art was always a natural inclination for him. Hockney is fiercely determined when he sets his mind to something. Remarkably, at Bradford Grammar School, he discovered students in lower academic streams received more art lessons. So, at just eleven years old, Hockney intentionally lowered his grades to move into the D stream, allowing him to attend five art classes a week.

Bragg recounts this story with a sense of amazement and fondness. When asked if he likes Hockney, he replies, “Absolutely. It would be hard not to – he’s incredibly likeable and has a great sense of humor.”

I asked him if he remembered when he first met the artist, but he couldn’t recall the exact moment. He said it was probably in the late 1960s. The artist was a well-known personality, and they’d crossed paths a couple of times.

He particularly remembers a time at a fancy dinner held by a major London art gallery. It was a formal event with speeches and lots of candles, and it felt a bit claustrophobic, so he stepped outside for some air. He found David smoking a cigarette. David pointed out the irony of being told to smoke outside because of fire risk, given the number of lit candles inside. He paused, then asked how many candles were actually in the room. The storyteller notes that many comedians from the North would envy David’s perfect comedic timing.

Though Sky Arts hasn’t officially branded this week’s documentary and interviews as part of The South Bank Show, Billy Bragg considers it a final installment. He and Sky Arts have mutually decided to end the series. “It’s been an incredible 45-year run,” Bragg says, “but I’m turning 84 next year, and I’m ready to step back. I figured, ‘Okay, that’s just how things go.’ It’s been a wonderful opportunity, and I’ve had the chance to work with amazing people. It’s been a fantastic life, but yes, this is the end.”

While he’s finishing up one major broadcasting endeavor, another is thriving. This fall, his Radio 4 program, In Our Time, will reach a milestone – its 1,000th episode. The show features academics sharing fascinating information, guided by Bragg’s insightful questions. He explains the program’s success comes from using professors who are comfortable speaking to an audience. He’ll also be appearing on Radio 4’s This Cultural Life this weekend, reflecting on his childhood in Wigton – a time filled with simple pleasures like pie and pea suppers, and his successful pursuit of a place at Oxford.

Both Bragg and Hockney have slowed down a bit with age – Hockney has significant hearing loss – and that actually improves the viewing experience. Bragg explains that this presented a challenge, forcing him to sit very close to Hockney, which some might find awkward, and to speak loudly, something he dislikes. To keep the focus on Hockney, they avoided showing Bragg on camera. However, this close proximity meant Hockney could hear everything, and they both focused intently on the conversation, creating a more intimate and engaging exchange.

This portrait feels incredibly powerful, capturing not just his words, but his inner thoughts and personality. I’m really pleased with how we were able to reveal the person beneath the surface. It’s been a deeply rewarding conversation – a genuine connection between two people. This will be our final conversation with Melvyn.

Authors

David Hodges

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2026-06-12 15:08