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David Hockney depicted a 'peaceful, gay paradise' when homosexuality was a crime
Key takeaways
- Painted in 1961, this picture may sound like it captures a relatively traditional romantic scene.
- That is because the couple in the painting are both men, and in 1961 it was still illegal to be gay in the UK.
- Hockney, who has died aged 88, painted We Two Boys Together Clinging as a second-year student at the Royal College of Art.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Anna Lamcheand Josh Parry,LGBT and identity reporter AFP via Getty Images David Hockney's We Two Boys Together Clinging was shown at a retrospective of the artist's work at the Tate Britain in 2017One of David Hockney's early paintings depicts a couple wrapped in an embrace.
Painted in 1961, this picture may sound like it captures a relatively traditional romantic scene.
But at the time, it was a radical piece of work. That is because the couple in the painting are both men, and in 1961 it was still illegal to be gay in the UK.
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