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Howard Hodgkin dead: Renowned abstract painter dies aged 84

The artist died peacefully in hospital in London

Jack Shepherd
Thursday 09 March 2017 13:55 GMT
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Howard Hodgkin has died aged 84
Howard Hodgkin has died aged 84 (Getty)

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Renown abstract painter Sir Howard Hodgkin has died at the age of 84.

The Turner prize recipient - often labelled one of Britain's greatest contemporary painters - died peacefully in hospital in London.

Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate galleries, paid tribute to Hodgkin, calling him "one of the great artists and colourists of his generation."

"His sensuous, intense paintings were infused with his love and understanding of late 19th-century French painting, especially Degas, Vuillard and Bonnard, and by his feeling for the heat and colours of India, which he visited on many occasions," Serota continued.

“Over the past 30 years Howard’s international standing has continued to grow with major exhibitions in Europe and America. His characteristic subject, the memory of a meeting or a conversation with a friend, resulted in paintings that radiate the emotions of life: love, anger, vanity, beauty and companionship.”

Hodkin's work is held in numerous prestigious galleries around the world, including the British Museum, Tate and MoMA in New York.

Notably, the painter designed one of 12 official posters for the 2012 Olympics poster. Titled Swimming, the abstract piece depicts a person swimming.

Howard Hodgkin - 'Swimming'
Howard Hodgkin - 'Swimming' (London 2012 / Getty)

In 2006, The Independent named Hodgkin one of the 100 most influential gay people in Britain, appearing on that year's Pink List.

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