Howard Hodgkin

Howard Hodgkin was one of Britain’s most celebrated painters and printmakers, known for his bold, emotionally charged works. Born in London on 6 August 1932, he lived in Hammersmith until 1940, when he was evacuated to the United States during the Second World War. There, exposure to artists such as Matisse, Picasso, and Stuart Davis helped spark his interest in painting.

Hodgkin returned to England in 1945 and attended Eton College, where an art teacher introduced him to Indian painting, particularly the work of the seventeenth-century artist Ustad Mansur. Deeply moved by this encounter - especially Mansur’s Chameleon - Hodgkin developed a lifelong fascination with Indian art. He began collecting it extensively, eventually acquiring over 120 works; the Ashmolean Museum later described his collection as “one of the finest in the world… formed by an artist’s eye.” India became a major source of ongoing inspiration in his own work. Visiting for the first time in 1964 and returning frequently, often staying in Mumbai.

Hodgkin represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1984, where his paintings were notably displayed on green walls rather than white to counter the effects of the bright Venetian light. Working from memory, he layered recollections to evoke mood and personal experience. Notable works include David’s Pool at Night, inspired by a 1979 visit to David Hockney’s home in Los Angeles, and For Bernard Jacobson, which won the 1985 Turner Prize.

He often dedicated works to important figures in his life, including his lifelong partner, Antony Peattie.

Hodgkin continued to paint into his final years, though his process became more instinctive and less preparatory. He died in London on 9 March 2017, two weeks before his exhibition Absent Friends opened at the National Portrait Gallery.

His work is held in major international collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Panjab University in India, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and Tate in London.