Jack Hazan traces the life and work of David Hockney, perhaps the most exploitable of British artists, and his role in the art movement of Los Angeles. The central focus of "A Bigger Splash" is the breakup between Hockney and Peter Schlesinger, a fellow artist. Hockney concentrates on a huge portrait of Peter but finds his tormented emotional state getting in the way. In a fit of anguish and rage he destroys the canvas that he had been working on for months. After a brief encounter with Peter in London, Hockney feels compelled to rework the portrait and finishes it within weeks.