David Hockney & John Fitzherbert

Photography by M. Sharkey

Britain's greatest living artist, David Hockney--who wore a gold lame jacket to receive an award from the queen in 1963 and has never been coy about his sexuality--met his partner, John Fitzherbert, at a lunch in London 23 years ago. Fitzherbert, a professional chef, wrote to Hockney asking if he could join him as a cook in Los Angeles, where the two began a relationship that continues today. In a rare concession, the couple--who now live mainly in the Yorkshire, England, home that Hockney bought for his mother in 1990--allowed themselves to be photographed with their dog for Out.

Photographed at their London home, September 26, 2012