The $30 million toe in the water

David Hockney, the late renowned British artist, has passed away at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of bold personality and numerous artistic mediums. Hockney's views on art and society were often candid and unapologetic, as seen in his opinion of fellow artist Lucian Freud's painting of the Queen, which he deemed 'OK'. He also spoke out against the ban on smoking in public places,introduced by Tony Blair's Labour government in 2007, and claimed that inhaling was part of his creative process.

Hockney was a lifelong smoker, often seen with a cigarette between his lips, and pointed out that great artists like Picasso, Matisse, and Turner were also life-long smokers.

A quirky side to a bold personality

Hockney's early life was marked by his family's struggles, including paper rationing during the Second World War, which forced him to draw in any blank space he could find. He also had to wear a secondhand blazer to school due to the family's financial difficulties.

Hockney's father's business, sellling refurbished bicycles and prams, played a significant role in sowing the seeds of his son's ambition to become an artist.

Reinventing himself as an artist

Throughout his long career, Hockney constantly reinvented himself as an artist, conquering various mediums and subjects,from sun-drenched Californian scenes to vast, immersive canvases depicting his native Yorkshire.

He was a true original,and his legacy will be remembered for generations to come.

Who is the unnamed buyer?

The source article does not mention who purchased Hockney's artwork,leaving behind a question about the financial implications of his passing.