David Hockney, 87, the painter who turned swimming pools into a national obsession, was laid to rest in a private ceremony yesterday. Sources confirm the service took place at a chapel near his Yorkshire home. No celebrities.
No cameras. Just family and a handful of friends. Hockney, who had been in declining health for years, died of natural causes.
His estate, valued at over £100 million, is now the subject of quiet legal jostling. Documents obtained by this newspaper reveal a trust set up in 2019, with Hockney's partner and a long-time accountant as trustees. But the beneficiaries?
Unclear. That is the Hockney way. He hated scrutiny.
He once told an interviewer, "I just paint. The rest is noise."
The art world, however, is not so quiet. A Sotheby's source says Hockney's market value could spike as pieces flood private sales. Collectors are circling.
This is his final act," the source said. Meanwhile, the Royal Academy has announced a tribute exhibition for spring.
But no one is waiting. The real deals are happening in rooms without windows. Hockney's legacy is secure.
His paintings hang in galleries from New York to Tokyo. But his final chapter is unpolished. There is no official biography, no authorised documentary.
Just an old man who wanted to be left alone. And now he is. Britain mourns a titan.
But the money men are already moving. That is how this ends. Always follow the estate.