The story of David Hockney, one of the most widely acclaimed of all living artists, is one of passion: passion for seeing, passion for telling, passion for images. But to these should be added passion for life. Hockney's art is a celebration of what it is to be alive. All his pictures - sometimes tender, as when he draws close friends and family; sometimes playful, as in his paintings of lazy, carefree days at the pool; sometimes awe-inspirin, as with his monumental images of the Grand Canyon - convey what it means to be in the world, to see it, to move in it, to love it. This constant exploration of how to communicate such feelings through art emerges with particular clarity in this stunning, lively volume, which charts almost fifty years of extraordinary creativity.

Hockney's Pictures is the first definitive 'retrospective' to show the evolution and diversity of Hockney's prolific paintings, drawings, watercolours, prints and photography. The works, including many that are new and never published, have been selected and organized by David Hockney himself, and track his lifelong experiments in ways of looking and depicting.