Despite not wanting to be married, he has a devoted partner in Jean-Pierre Conclaves de Lima. For fifteen years, he and Jean have been faithful to one another.
He had an affair with Peter Schlesinger, one of his drawing students, before meeting Jean-Pierre. He first met Peter in 1966, when he was 28 years old, during a summer program at the University of California. The two developed a romantic relationship. When David was 20, he and his partner relocated to London. After 30 years of dating, the couple ended their partnership.
