London mayor mocked after revealing new public art installation: ‘Is David Hockney aged 7 or under?’

According to the BBC, Khan, who won re-election on Saturday, has promised an investment of 6 million pounds to "help bring tourism back to London." He said that the campaign, Let's Do London, is "the biggest domestic tourism campaign London has ever seen."

Highlights of the plan, reports the BBC, include the delayed Euro 2020 football tournament, as well as an exhibition of famed British artist David Hockney's work. The latter kicked off on Monday, and has already caused quite the controversy.

David Hockney is an 83-year-old artist from the north of England who rose to prominence for his work in the pop-art style. In 2018, one of his paintings sold at auction for $90.3 million, making it the most expensive painting by a living artist.

Hockney, who now lives in France, recently started creating art using his iPad, a move which is quite controversial in the art world.

The art commissioned by Mayor Khan for Piccadilly Circus tube station was done in Hockney's trademark simplicity, however for many, it was almost too simple.

The images, which were drawn using his iPad, filled the tube station, and were instantly mocked on Twitter.

Many posted images of children's art, suggesting that Hockney's pieces could easily have been created by an amateur, and have no business adorning the halls of London's tube stations.

One twitter user even went so far as to compare Hockney's art to that of a six year old.

YouTube comedian and Scottish social commentator Mark Meechan asked, "Is David Hockney aged 7 or under? Because that's the only excuse for this."

Hockney's work was also featured on the Piccadilly Light Screen just outside the tube station.