David Hockney – Pool and Steps (1971)

Louisiana poster featuring the work, Pool and Steps, (1971), by British artist David Hockney (b. 1937-2026). Hockney is one of Britain's most influential artists of the 20th century and was central to the 1960s pop art scene in London. Hockey is well-known to many visitors to Louisiana, where he has exhibited several times.

David Hockney is loved by many for his ability to touch the ordinary - what the world mostly consists of. He likes to let it float a little, so that we become involved, because Hockney both offers a motif and that we ourselves involve ourselves in processing what is seen.

Here we are back in 1964, when the then 27-year-old David Hockney moved from Britain to sunny California. The American west coast environment inspired him and he painted a long series of pictures of swimming pools with or without people, often in delicate pink, light blue or bright green shades.

In 2007, Louisiana acquired David Hockney's giant painting A Closer Grand Canyon (1998), consisting of 60 smaller canvases assembled into one large image – a work that has since become an absolute centerpiece in the collection.