Harry Styles Remembers David Hockney With Touching Tribute During Wembley Stadium Show

Harry Styles took a moment to share a powerful tribute to the late artist David Hockney on the first night of his 12-show Wembley residency.

Before Harry performed his single Aperture to a packed Wembley Stadium on Friday night, a quote from Hockney appeared on the screens.

“What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing,” read the quote, which was met with rapturous applause from the audience. 

“You wouldn’t be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.”

The pioneering British painter and photographer David Hockney died last week, at the age of 88.

Over the course of his career, he had become known as one of the most prolific and beloved artists of his generation.

In May 2022, the former One Direction star sat for Hockney, travelling to his Normandy studio to be painted by the legendary artist.

The resulting artwork was one of more than 30 new portraits displayed for the first time in the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibit David Hockney: Drawing From Life in 2023.

In the portrait, the Watermelon Sugar singer is depicted wearing an orange and red cardigan, with a pearl necklace and blue jeans.

Harry was a big fan of the Yorkshire-born artist, telling Vogue in 2023: “David Hockney has been reinventing the way we look at the world for decades. It was a complete privilege to be painted by him.”

David was less of a fan of Harry – in fact he had no idea who the Grammy winner was before he arrived for his portrait session.

“I wasn’t really aware of his celebrity then,” Hockney admitted. “He was just another person who came to the studio.”

Friday saw Harry open the first night of his record-breaking residency at Wembley Stadium.

The chart-topper will play the London stadium for 12 nights – breaking records previously held by Coldplay and Taylor Swift.

During the show, he also paid tribute to his X Factor days, recalling how his sister took him to Wembley Arena for his first audition.

“My sister is here tonight,” he said to the adoring crowd. “I want to thank her. I love you and I appreciate you.”