Works by some of the most famous names in the world of art are coming to Yorkshire this year as part of the new scheme Art in Yorkshire – supported by Tate.

Iconic artists such as David Hockney, Damien Hirst, Henry Moore and Dame Barbara Hepworth will be featured in exhibitions taking place in 19 urban and rural galleries across the county.

The strength of Yorkshire’s art collections will be highlighted alongside significant loans from Tate’s Collection.

This programme has been launched with the arrival of David Hockney’s Bigger Trees Near Warter or/ou Peinture Sur Le Motif Pour Le Nouvel at York Art Gallery last week.

Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota says: “We are delighted to be supporting Art in Yorkshire by sharing ideas, expertise and lending works from Tate’s Collection. Located in the landscape of Yorkshire, which has inspired many of the artists in the programme, this exciting initiative will allow an even wider audience, in and beyond the region, to enjoy and experience art in public collections.”

Leading the project is Janet Barnes, chief executive of York Museums Trust. “This is the first time that some of the main galleries in Yorkshire have worked together to promote their fantastic exhibition programmes,” she says. “We’re delighted that Tate has supported us on different aspects of the initiative and, most of all, providing works from the national collection. We hope people will be inspired by the art on show and take the time to travel around Yorkshire.”

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, says: “To bring together many of Yorkshire’s main art spaces for an initiative which has backing from Tate is a great boost to the county’s tourism industry and further indication that our cultural offerings are highly prized.

“Featuring internationally acclaimed Yorkshire artists and artworks on loan from Tate, the exhibitions will be a major draw for overseas visitors choosing to holiday in the UK this year as well as those closer by looking to book a short break.”

Hockney attended the press launch of Art In Yorkshire, chatting away to journalists with the ubiquitous cigarette in hand at York Art Gallery, where Bigger Trees Near Warter is being exhibited outside London for the first time. The huge work, which takes up a whole gallery wall, will later be shown in Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, and Cartwright Hall, Bradford, during this year.

Other highlights from the programme include the Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate, presenting Atkinson Grimshaw, Painter Of Moonlight, from April 16 to September 4: an exhibition of paintings of atmospheric Pre-Raphaelite-style landscapes and nocturnal urban scenes.

York St Mary’s will play host to Cornelia Parker’s Thirty Pieces Of Silver from May 28 to October 30, when more than 1,000 objects that Cornelia has flattened by steam roller into 30 disks will hover above the ground in the church.

The Ferens Gallery, Hull, will present Artist Rooms: Francesca Woodman, from June 11 to October 23.

On show will be 18 rare vintage black and white photographs by this American artist, who died aged 22.

Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery will host Great British Art Debate: John Martin, from June 22 to September 4, a major exhibition by a 19th-century artist, known for dramatic scenes of destruction and catastrophe.

Leeds Art Gallery will host Artist Rooms: Damien Hirst, from July 15 to October 30, an exhibition exploring birth, illness, death and religion through photography and painting.