Hockney seals his status as an intellectual revolutionary

David Hockney's impassioned protest in The Independent on Wednesday against the Bayeux Tapestry being moved from its home in Normandy to the British Museum for nine months might seem out of character to those who only associate Britain's greatest living artist with his vibrant, colourful and life-affirming paintings.

- DAVID LISTER

But, in fact, Hockney, who condemned the Bayeux Tapestry move as "madness" which could irreparably damage the work, has been no stranger to protest through his long working life. In the early Sixties, his depictions of gay (as it wasn't yet called) life were part of the long fight for the legalisation of homosexuality.

In the Seventies, he was again ahead of the curve, calling for a relaxation of pub drinking hours.

His impassioned defence of freedom of expression saw him take on the then Labour government's interference in the Noughties on how children were portrayed in art. He has never been afraid to be out of tune with the spirit of the times.

Hockney is one of art's true campaigners and intellectuals. And there is no doubting that creative minds can make their causes inspire millions. John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" remains one of the greatest anti-war anthems ever written. Lennon shied away from taking himself too seriously for too long, and when he returned his MBE, he said it was in protest against the war in Biafra and The Beatles' latest single slipping down the charts. In reality, he was far more concerned to draw attention to the former than the latter.