From: Bradford, England. LA Opera: Tristan und Isolde (1987, debut; also 1997, 2008); Die Frau ohne Schatten (1993, 2004); Turandot (2024).
A British artist based in Los Angeles for many years, David Hockney (born 1937) is a distinguished designer, artist and author whose work has been seen at the world’s most prestigious venues. He is among the most visible and well-known serious contemporary artists of our time. His distinctive style and use of color and light have graced an enormous range of art media since the 1960s, encompassing etchings, paintings, drawings, photographic collages and printing, as well as the creation of landmark theatrical designs for film, theater and opera.
For Glyndebourne Opera, he has designed productions of The Rake’s Progress and The Magic Flute. His designs for Turandot premiered in 1992 at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and were seen on PBS’ “Great Performances” at the San Francisco Opera. He has also designed sets and costumes for Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, Le Rossignol and Oedipus Rex. In 1987-1988 he wrote, directed and was featured in the film A Day on the Grand Canal with the Emperor of China or Surface is Illusion but so is Depth, produced by Philip Haas. He is the author of Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters. In 1997 he received the Order of the Companion of Honour Award from Queen Elizabeth II.
Learn more about his art at Hockney.com.
