Yes, a David Hockney Pool Painting Really Did Sell for Nearly £70 Million in 2018

The claim checks out completely. On November 15, 2018, Hockney's 'Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)' went under the hammer at Christie's New York and fetched $90.3 million. At the exchange rate that week, that came to approximately £70 million, making the figure in the claim accurate.

The sale was confirmed by multiple major sources. Christie's own auction records list the final price. BBC News reported it as the highest price ever paid for a work by a living artist at auction. The Guardian ran the same figure and noted the sterling conversion. The Art Newspaper described the painting in detail, confirming it features a boy swimming in a pool watched by a standing figure — squarely within Hockney's famous pool imagery.

One small nuance worth noting: the painting is not purely a swimming pool scene. It is a double portrait that happens to feature a pool prominently. But calling it a 'swimming pool painting' is a fair and widely used shorthand — even art critics use it — so this does not undermine the claim.

The sale also shattered the previous record for a living artist, which had been held by Jeff Koons whose 'Balloon Dog' sold for $58.4 million in 2013. Hockney's price was more than $30 million higher, a remarkable leap that underlined just how significant the moment was.

This kind of story spreads easily and accurately because the numbers are striking and easy to verify. If anything, be cautious of follow-up claims that inflate or misattribute the figure — for instance, confusing this sale with other Hockney works or citing outdated exchange rates. The core claim, however, is solid.