Hockney donates massive landscape to U.K.'s Tate Britain

Nearly a year after David Hockney unveiled his largest ever painting, the influentialBritish artist has donated it to London's Tate Britain gallery.

"[The] Tate had asked me two years ago about giving things," the Los Angeles-based artist told reporters gathered at the gallery on Monday.

"If I'm going to give something to the Tate, you want to give them something really good."

Hockney, 70,returned to northern England's Yorkshire region where he grew up last year to create the massive landscape painting Bigger Trees Near Warter, which measures about 4.5-by-12 metres and is comprised ofdozens ofsmaller canvases.

Because of the painting's large scale, Hockney could not stand back to look at the entire piece while he was working on it, so he used drawings and computer animations to help him assemble the finished product.

He exhibited the work at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition in 2007.

"We are delighted he has decided to give this exceptional work to Tate," gallery director Nicholas Serota said.

"The viewer is overwhelmed by the beauty of the winter trees and the energy of the Yorkshire landscape."

Bigger Trees is to be displayed at the Tate Britain in 2009.