Remembering Glen Baxter, Pat Steir, Melvin Edwards

The art world mourns the recent deaths of several significant figures. British absurdist cartoonist Glen Baxter, known for his work in The New Yorker and exhibitions at Flowers Gallery, has died. American sculptor Melvin Edwards, renowned for his welded steel Lynch Fragments addressing racist violence, and pioneering feminist painter Pat Steir, celebrated for her conceptual, process-based works, have also passed. The article additionally notes the deaths of Lebanese painter Ali Sbeity, killed in an airstrike; Mexican folk artist Josefina Aguilar; British heritage leader Neil Cossons; British painter Charles Debenham; and Cypriot painter Andreas Karayian.

Teresinha Soares, Brazilian Artist Behind Erotic-Inflected Works That Slyly Defied Taboos, Dies at 99

Teresinha Soares, a pioneering Brazilian artist known for her bold, erotic-inflected paintings and installations that challenged societal taboos and gender conventions, died on March 31 in Belo Horizonte at age 99. Her career, though concentrated between 1965 and 1976, was defined by works featuring pared-down, full-figured female silhouettes in vibrant colors that directly addressed women's sexuality and oppression.

Remembering Pearl Fryar, Siri Aurdal, and Frank Stack

The art world mourns the loss of several influential figures, including self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar, who transformed a South Carolina cornfield into a botanical landmark, and painter Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, known for her politically charged works featured in the Whitney Biennial. The week's memorials also include Norwegian sculptor Siri Aurdal, a pioneer of industrial materials in the 1960s Scandinavian scene, and Frank Stack, the educator and cartoonist credited with creating the first underground comic.

Lebanese Artist Ali Sbeity Reportedly Killed in Israeli Strike

Lebanese artist Ali Sbeity was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern town of Kafra. The death was confirmed by the Artists at Risk Connection and reported by local media. Sbeity was known for his vibrant portraits and landscapes of his rural hometown, which he frequently shared on social media.

Philanthropist and Patron Emmanuele Emanuele Dies; Creator of Rome's Palazzo Sciarra and Palazzo Cipolla Museum Spaces

È morto il filantropo e mecenate Emmanuele Emanuele. Fautore a Roma degli spazi museali di Palazzo Sciarra e Palazzo Cipolla

Emmanuele Francesco Maria Emanuele, a prominent Italian philanthropist, jurist, and patron of the arts, has passed away in Rome at the age of 86. Born in Palermo, Emanuele dedicated the latter half of his life to cultural promotion, most notably serving as the President of Fondazione Roma and the Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale. His leadership was instrumental in transforming Rome's Palazzo Sciarra and Palazzo Cipolla into significant museum spaces, hosting both permanent collections and major temporary exhibitions.

Cledie Taylor, Detroit’s ‘First Lady’ of Art Exhibition and Education, Dies at 100

Cledie Taylor, a pioneering Detroit artist, gallerist, and educator who championed the city's Black artisans and shaped its art curriculum, has died at the age of 100. Born in Arkansas in 1926, she moved to Detroit as a child and became a central figure in the local art scene, co-founding the influential artist collective Arts Extended in the 1950s.