Bradford and the making of David Hockney

Dear readers — last week, West Yorkshire lost an all-time icon. David Hockney, Bradford-born artist extraordinaire, is no longer with us. 

He left the world a brighter place.

For today’s story we’ve been speaking to Hockney’s Bradford contemporaries for their memories of him, and some of the local artists who have been inspired by his legacy.

First though, we’ve got your round-up. And after the article, there’s everything you need for an excellent weekend, with folk, fireworks, and festivals.

The round-up:

💐 Yesterday marked ten years since the terrible day that Jo Cox, MP for Batley and Spen, was murdered outside Birstall Library by Thomas Mair. Her sister (and MP for Spen Valley) Kim Leadbeater, was on the Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast reflecting on the events, and described the last time she saw Cox. “She put on one of my hoodies, and she was tiny, was Jo. And she just snuggled up in our armchair and we just chatted and talked. And when she left, she said, ‘oh, let me give you your hoodie back’. And I said: ‘no, no, it’s fine, just give me it next time you see me.’ And then I didn’t see her again after that.”

🚨 West Yorkshire Police has been forced to issue a statement after a video has recirculated on social media, showing officers detaining a child. The footage is actually from April 2023, according to the force. Reports had been made of an “unauthorised encampment” in Knottingley where 20 people “armed with baseball bats were threatening staff at a waste site”. Several allegations were made when officers turned up and a man was arrested on suspicion of assault and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. The statement said a nine-year-old boy was also “briefly detained and placed in a police car after a brick was thrown at a police vehicle”, which caused damage. The use of force was “appropriate in the circumstances”, a review by the force’s Professional Standards Directorate found. No members of the public were injured and no complaints were received.

⚽ Leeds United legend, and current Uruguay manager, Marcelo Bielsa has hit the headlines in typical fashion. It will come as no surprise to Peacocks supporters, who developed adoration (read obsession) for ‘El Loco’s’ maverick nature during his time in charge of the club, that the Argentine has broken with convention at the World Cup, taking the decision to stare at the ground during his Fifa photoshoot. The clip (BBC) has been widely shared, but the 70-year-old brushed it off in the post-match press conference following Uruguay’s 1-1 draw with Saudia Arabia. “The picture was taken the way it was taken. I'm not a model. I have no answer for that.” Vintage Bielsa.

Bradford and the making of David Hockney

Or: David Hockney and the making of Bradford 

By Mia Jankowicz and Brad Deas

“I thought our laddo was younger than me, but he was older than me actually”. I’m speaking to Alan Andrew, 88, a classmate of David Hockney’s back at Bradford Grammar School. He now lives in Nab Wood, not far from Salts Mill. “It came as a hell of a shock; nearly 89, not out.”

It’s a sign of how Hockney is viewed here that people speak of him in these familiar terms, even though, by Alan’s own account, they weren’t especially close as boys. Then again, in Alan’s telling, “he [Hockney] wasn’t a chap who got friendly with anyone really”, something of an “odd bod”. He recalls a moment when Hockney had an altercation in the playground with three other boys. “They were knocking the hell out of David and we went over and sorted them out for him, but he was holding his own.”

But even if the young Hockney wasn't the most clubbable, his ability to capture a person’s essence was already apparent. “It’s funny, I remember in art [lessons], he could draw a portrait, it was that good you might pay £40 for it and you could remember what you felt and were thinking at the time. It was that good,” Alan reflects. “You’re either born with it or you’re not” – clearly, Hockney was.