Hockney becomes a member of Order of Merit

The Queen has appointed David Hockney as a member of the Order of Merit - "a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture" (Wikipedia).


Hockney has previously turned down knighthood because he "does not care for a fuss", and instead values his friends.


The BBC reports:
"Hockney, one of the best-known figures from the 1960s British pop art movement, first attracted interest while studying at the Royal College of Art. 


His figurative drawings and paintings gave him a reputation as a figure who bridged high art and pop art while his blond, bespectacled, youthful appearance made him one of the faces of the decade.


In recent years, Hockney has returned to his native Yorkshire after spending years in California, where he has been inspired by light and space with his paintings of swimming pools proving to be some of his most memorable works.

His Beverly Hills Housewife - which shows Californian arts patron Betty Freeman in a pink dress standing on the patio of her home - sold in 2009 for an artist record $7.9m (£5.1m) at Christie's New York.

His forthcoming landscapes exhibition in London, A Bigger Picture, will feature some of his more recent works embracing technology.

The pro-smoking campaigner's exhibition, which opens on 21 January at the Royal Academy, is inspired by the East Yorkshire landscape of which he has said: "I'm aware I've got a very good subject, and with each season, I begin to see more."

The exhibition will include a display of iPad drawings and a series of films produced using 18 cameras, displayed on multiple screens.

In 2009, he said: "One morning recently, I made a drawing on my iPhone while I was still in bed, of flowers through the window, and the sunrise, which I could then [email] to 12 people, without it ever having been photographed or printed, and that's very new."

Members of the Order are given a red and blue badge reading "For Merit".