Hockney unveils massive new work in London

Influential British artist David Hockney has unveiled his largest painting ever for an upcoming exhibit at London's Royal Academy of Art.

For Bigger Trees Near Warter, the Los Angeles-based painter returned to the landscape of England's East Yorkshire region, where he grew up.

The massive artwork was painted in the open air and is the largest painting the Royal Academy has ever displayed. A film crew documented Hockney's painting process, and will release the productionshowing how the British pop art pioneer brought it all together.

"When we took it to the barn [near his Bridlington studio] and put it up against the wall, it was exciting, exhilarating," Hockney said at the unveiling ceremony on Friday.

"The most I had seen of it until then was 10 pieces at a time. The moment we got it up, I was very thrilled. I immediately started realizing what I could do in the future," he said.

The new painting, which measures about 12 metres by 4.5 metres, is comprised of 50 smaller canvases, similar to his 1998 piece A Bigger Grand Canyon, which is owned by the National Gallery of Australia.

Bigger Trees Near Warter will be displayed as part of the Royal Academy's 239th annual summer exhibition, which opens to the public June 11. This year's overall theme is "light."

Also in June, the Tate Britain will display, at a show marking his 70th birthday,other new East Yorkshire landscapes Hockney painted last year.

The 69-year-old artist, who will celebrate his birthday on July 9, will also help curate the gallery's upcoming exhibition of 150 of J.M.W Turner's watercolours.