Hockney honored with megashow

David Hockney is marking his 80th birthday this year with a major retrospective of his work in London, which attempts to explore what turns an artist into a popular star.

More than 200 of the celebrated British painter's works are on show at the Tate Britain gallery from Thursday until May 29, covering his early drawings right through to his latest works created on an iPad.

They include his 1960s Californian swimming pool series, his 1970s double portraits and more recent works in the bright landscapes of his native Yorkshire in northern England.