Alan Saret, Post-Minimal Sculptor of Spiritual Forms, Dies at 81

Alan Saret, the spiritually ambitious Post-Minimalist sculptor known for his ethereal wire sculptures and 'Gang Drawings,' has died at age 81. Born on Christmas Day 1944 in New York City, Saret studied architecture at Cornell University under Paolo Soleri and later studied art at Hunter College under Robert Morris. He debuted at SoHo's Bykert Gallery in 1967, participated in landmark exhibitions including Morris's '9 in a Warehouse' and 'Live in Your Head: When Attitudes Become Form,' and won a Guggenheim fellowship in 1969. After a period of obscurity, a 2007 Drawing Center exhibition reintroduced his work to a new generation. His gallery, Karma, confirmed his death, noting his pursuit of 'ensoulment' through art informed by spirituality, mathematics, nature, and the built environment.

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Painter Who Defied the Bounds of Abstraction, Dies at 84

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, the American painter known for her large-scale abstract works that defied easy categorization, died in Mérida, Mexico, on May 10 at age 84. Her death was confirmed by her galleries, Jenkins Johnson and Marianne Boesky, on May 13. Active in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, O’Neal developed a distinctive practice that blended Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism, and figurative elements, most notably through her Lampblack series and later the "Whales Fucking" series. Her work gained renewed attention in the 21st century, with exhibitions at Mnuchin Gallery and the Museum of the African Diaspora, and her painting *Blue Whale a.k.a. #12* (1983) was selected for the 2024 Whitney Biennial.

Bruno Bischofberger, Swiss Art Dealer and Early Backer of Basquiat, Dies at 86

Bruno Bischofberger, the influential Swiss art dealer, collector, and historian, died on Saturday at age 86. He opened his first galleries in Zurich and St. Moritz in 1963, championed American Pop artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, and became an early backer of Jean-Michel Basquiat, representing him from 1982. Bischofberger also helped found Interview magazine with Peter Brant and was a longtime exhibitor at Art Basel.

Gallerist Bruno Bischofberger, Who Catalyzed Basquiat/Warhol Collaboration, Dies at 86

Swiss art dealer Bruno Bischofberger, who catalyzed the famous collaboration between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, died on May 9 at age 86. His death was announced by his namesake gallery, which he had operated since 1963. Bischofberger played a pivotal role in introducing US Pop artists to Europe, representing Warhol and Basquiat, and commissioning collaborative works that led Warhol to return to painting after a two-decade hiatus. He also represented European artists like Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Gerhard Richter, and Jean Tinguely, and his idiosyncratic ads graced Artforum's back cover for nearly four decades.

Remembering Alan Saret, Julio Le Parc, and Hilde Lynn Helphenstein

Hyperallergic's weekly In Memoriam column honors several figures from the art world who recently died, including postminimalist sculptor Alan Saret (1944–2026), Franco-Argentine kinetic artist Julio Le Parc (1928–2026), art-world satirist Hilde Lynn Helphenstein (1985–2026), figurative painter Jay Milder (1934–2026), arts advocate Randall Bourscheidt (1944–2026), Vietnamese photographer Dang Van Phuoc (1935–2026), British actor and art dealer Robin Alastair Hurlstone (1958–2026), and Belgian multimedia artist Marie-Jo Lafontaine (1950–2026). Each obituary highlights their contributions, from Saret's wire sculptures and Le Parc's kinetic works to Helphenstein's satirical Instagram account and Bourscheidt's advocacy for artists with AIDS.

Alan Saret, ‘Anti-Form’ Artist Known for His Wire Sculptures, Dies at 81

Alan Saret, an artist known for his chaotic wire sculptures and colored-pencil drawings that helped define the 'anti-form' movement of the late 1960s and early '70s, died on Tuesday at age 81. His death was announced by Karma, the New York gallery that staged three exhibitions of his work since 2022. Saret's breakthrough came with a 1968 exhibition at Bykert Gallery, leading to inclusion in Harald Szeemann's landmark show 'When Attitudes Become Form' at Kunsthalle Bern in 1969. His wire sculptures, made from crushed and bent industrial materials, were collected by institutions including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum. He also created 'Gang Drawings' by dragging multiple colored pencils across paper, surveyed by the Drawing Center in 2007.

The art world remembers Valie Export, Austrian pioneer of feminist performance art

VALIE EXPORT, the Austrian pioneer of feminist performance art, died on 14 May, three days before her 86th birthday. Her death was confirmed by her representative, Thaddaeus Ropac. Born Waltraud Lehner in Linz in 1940, she developed a radical artistic language centered on the female body, known for works such as *Tap and Touch Cinema* (1968–1971) and *Body Configurations* (1972–1976). Tributes have poured in from artists, writers, and institutions, including the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin and the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, where director Stella Rollig noted their ongoing collaboration on the exhibition *Feminist Futures Forever*.

Renowned feminist artist and film-maker Valie Export dies aged 85

Valie Export, the Austrian performance artist and film-maker known for her provocative feminist works that challenged the male gaze, has died at age 85. Her foundation announced she died in Vienna on Thursday, three days before her 86th birthday. Export gained notoriety in the late 1960s for low-budget performances such as "Tapp und Tastkino" (1968), where she invited shoppers to touch her bare breasts through a tiny curtain strapped to her chest. She also co-founded the Austrian Filmmakers Cooperative, participated in documenta (1977, 2007) and the Venice Biennale (1980), and was a professor of multimedia and performance at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne.

Valie Export, Groundbreaking Feminist Artist Who Questioned the Nature of Art, Dies at 85

Valie Export, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for challenging the conventions of art and cinema through body-centered, tactile works, died on May 14 at age 85, three days before her birthday. Her death was confirmed by Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, which represents her. Over six decades, Export created influential works such as "TAP and TOUCH CINEMA" (1968) and "Action Pants: Genital Panic" (1968), using her own body to question gender norms and the nature of film. Born Waltraud Lehner in Linz, she reinvented herself as VALIE EXPORT in 1967, a name symbolizing her exportation of personal ideas. She was associated with the Viennese Actionists but developed her own expanded cinema practice, producing works like "Abstract Film No. 1" (1967–68) that redefined the medium.

Remembering Bruno Bischofberger, Manuela Hoelterhoff, and Steven Durland

This week's In Memoriam column from Hyperallergic honors seven figures from the art world who recently passed away, including Swiss collector and dealer Bruno Bischofberger (1940–2026), Pulitzer-winning arts critic Manuela Hoelterhoff (1949–2026), and artist-editor Steven Durland (1951–2026). Other notable losses include British painter Ray Burgoyne, iconographer Christina Dochwat, German gallerist Jenny Falckenberg, realist painter Ward Nichols, and MoMA preparator Pamela A. Popeson. Each entry provides a brief biography and highlights their contributions to visual art, criticism, and cultural organizing.

Julio Le Parc, artist committed to movement and light, 1028–2026

Julio Le Parc, the Argentine artist known for his pioneering work in kinetic and Op Art, has died at age 98. Le Parc moved to Paris in 1958, where he developed a systematic, machine-like approach to abstraction, creating grid-based paintings and later sculptures using Plexiglas. He introduced light into his work in 1968 and became known for installations involving distorted mirrors and labyrinths that disoriented viewers. A founding member of the activist Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV), he was briefly expelled from France after the 1968 social unrest. He received the International Grand Prize for Painting at the 1966 Venice Biennale and had major retrospectives at the Serpentine Galleries (2025), Palais de Tokyo (2013), and Daros Foundation (2014).

VALIE EXPORT, pioneering artist who centred the female body, 1940–2026

VALIE EXPORT, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for her provocative performances centered on the female body, has died at age 85. Born in Linz in 1940, she adopted the name VALIE EXPORT in 1967 and quickly rose to prominence with iconic actions such as *TAP and TOUCH Cinema* (1968) and *Action Pants: Genital Panic* (1968), which challenged passive representations of women. Her work spanned photography, film, and expanded cinema, and she participated in major international exhibitions including documenta 6 and 12, and the Venice Biennale, where she and Maria Lassnig became the first women to represent Austria in 1980.

Alan Saret, Author of Transcendent Wire Sculptures, Dead at 81

Sculptor Alan Saret, known for his ethereal wire sculptures and "Gang Drawings," died on May 26 in Brooklyn at age 81. His death was announced by the gallery Karma, which represented him. Saret created cloudlike organic forms from brass, copper, and steel wire, responding to Minimalism with a nature-attuned spirit. He studied under Robert Morris at Hunter College, assisted architect Paolo Soleri, and was included in Harald Szeemann's landmark 1969 exhibition "When Attitudes Become Form" at Kunsthalle Bern. After a rocky career that included a three-year stay in India and a decade-long hiatus from showing work, Karma secured representation of the artist in 2022, finally bringing him the notice he deserved.

VALIE EXPORT, Icon of Feminist Art, Dead at 85

VALIE EXPORT, the radical Austrian performance artist, filmmaker, and sculptor widely regarded as the most significant feminist artist of the postwar era, died in Vienna on May 14, just three days before her 85th birthday. Her death was confirmed by Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, which represents her. Known for provocative works such as *Tapp und Tastkino* (1968), in which she invited passersby to touch her bare breasts through a miniature theater, EXPORT faced hate mail, death threats, and indecency charges but remained undeterred in her mission to challenge patriarchal norms through the female body and sexual agency.

Paula Kamps, Painter of Rare Sensitivity, Dies at 36

Hyperallergic's weekly "In Memoriam" column honors seven recently deceased figures from the art world, including German painter Paula Kamps (1990–2026), who died at 36. Kamps was known for her delicate watercolor-like paintings of fragmented figures, flowers, and daily life, and had solo exhibitions at Galerie Christine Mayer in Munich, M. LeBlanc in Chicago, and Sans titre in Paris. The column also pays tribute to Miami graffiti legend Eric Alan Hirt ("ESON"), master ceramicist Lucy Edwards, Greek museum founder Anna Kafetsi, abstract painter Tess Jaray, Sotheby's auctioneer John Marion, and counterculture artist Ben Morea.

John Claridge obituary

John Claridge, a celebrated advertising photographer known for his iconic campaigns for Rolls-Royce, Porsche, and Jack Daniels, has died at age 81. His career spanned decades and earned multiple awards, but he is most revered for his black-and-white photographs of London's East End in the 1960s and 1970s, collected in the 2016 monograph "East End." Claridge's work is held in major institutions including the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Harald Metzkes, Postwar German Painter of ‘World Theater,’ Dies at 97

Harald Metzkes, the German painter known for his classically indebted and symbolically rich works created after World War II, died at age 97 in Brandenburg. His death was confirmed by his son, sculptor Robert Metzkes. Metzkes gained prominence in East Germany for rejecting socialist realism, instead developing a distinctive style that combined poetic imagery, references to classical modernism, and deeply symbolic visual worlds. The Neue Nationalgalerie is currently showing his painting "Removal of the Six-Armed Goddess" (1956) in an exhibition titled "Extreme Tension. Art between Politics and Society Collection of the Nationalgalerie 1945–2000."

Remembering F. John Sierra, Valie Export, and Mary Lovelace O’Neal

This week's In Memoriam column honors seven figures from the art world who recently passed away, including muralist and Chicano art champion F. John Sierra (1942–2026), Austrian feminist performance and film artist Valie Export (1940–2026), and painter and Civil Rights activist Mary Lovelace O'Neal (1942–2026). Also remembered are Maltese coin and monument designer Noel Galea Bason (1955–2026), Iranian-Irish gallerist and polymath Jamshid MirFenderesky (1947–2026), Philadelphia painter and educator Peter Paone (1936–2026), and Italian sculptor and installation artist Remo Salvadori (1947–2026). Each entry highlights their key contributions, from founding institutions and participating in major biennials to shaping cultural identity and challenging societal norms through art.

Mary Lovelace O’Neal Leaves Her Mark

Abstract mixed-media painter Mary Lovelace O’Neal, a Civil Rights activist and influential artist known for her monumental canvases and inventive 'lampblack' works, died at age 84. The article also reports that Manhattan’s Neue Galerie will merge with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and covers the NADA New York art fair, Todd Gray's exhibition, and the Lehman College Art Gallery thesis show.

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Painter and Civil Rights Luminary, Dies at 84

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, a painter, educator, and Civil Rights activist, died on May 10 at age 84 in Mérida, Mexico. Known for her monumental canvases and inventive “lampblack” works, she moved fluidly between abstraction and figuration, using layers of black pigment to assert Blackness and presence. Her career included studies at Howard University and Columbia University, activism with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and connections to the Black Arts Movement.

Julio Le Parc, master of kinetic art with hypnotic colors, dies at 97

Julio Le Parc, maître de l’art cinétique aux couleurs hypnotiques, est mort à 97 ans

Julio Le Parc, the Franco-Argentine master of kinetic and Op Art, died on May 30 in Paris at age 97. A founding member of the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV) in 1960, he spent six decades exploring light, movement, and perception, creating immersive environments, suspended plexiglass spheres, and optical devices that made the viewer an active participant. His death comes just before the opening of a major retrospective, "Julio Le Parc - Light, Colour, Action," at Tate Modern in London on June 11, 2026, which will feature 60 of his works through May 3, 2027.

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Author of Uncategorizable Abstractions, Dies at 84

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, an activist, educator, and artist known for her monumental lampblack paintings that expanded the possibilities of abstraction, died on May 10 in Mérida, Mexico, at age 84. Despite a six-decade career, she was long considered an "artist's artist" before gaining international acclaim in recent years, with major exhibitions at Mnuchin Gallery, Marianne Boesky Gallery, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and inclusion in the 2024 Whitney Biennial and the 2025 group show "Paris Noir" at the Centre Pompidou.

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Abstract Painter Who Refused to Conform, Dies at 84

Mary Lovelace O’Neal, an abstract painter known for her gestural, unruly works that defied categorization, died on Sunday in Mérida, Mexico, at age 84. Her galleries, Jenkins Johnson and Marianne Boesky, announced her passing. O’Neal produced sprawling paintings characterized by tangles of drippy strokes, often using lamp black pigment to create intensely black canvases. She rejected labels like Abstract Expressionist or Minimalist, insisting she was simply a painter. Her series "Whales Fucking" (1979) and a 2020 exhibition at Mnuchin Gallery revived her profile, leading to inclusion in the 2024 Whitney Biennial.

Bruno Bischofberger, gallerist to Warhol and Basquiat, 1940–2026

Bruno Bischofberger, the influential Swiss gallerist who founded his eponymous gallery in 1963, has died at age 86. He was best known for his decades-long relationship with Andy Warhol, securing right of first refusal on all of Warhol's new works after purchasing eleven early paintings in 1968. Bischofberger also represented Jean-Michel Basquiat internationally from 1982 and gave solo exhibitions to a generation of major artists including Julian Schnabel, David Salle, George Condo, and Francesco Clemente. In 2013, his gallery relocated to a former factory in Männedorf, Switzerland, redeveloped by his daughter and son-in-law.

Tess Jaray obituary

Tess Jaray, an Austrian-born British abstract painter known for her geometric, architectural-inspired works, has died at age 88. The article traces her artistic journey from a transformative trip to Italy in 1960, where she was deeply moved by Renaissance architecture, to her development of abstract paintings that evoked space and movement. It highlights key moments in her career, including a mural for the British Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal and a solo show at the Serpentine Gallery in 1988, as well as her Jewish family's escape from Nazi-occupied Austria and her upbringing in rural Worcestershire.

Figurative Expressionist Painter Jay Milder Dies at 92

Jay Milder, a Figurative Expressionist painter and co-founder of City Gallery in New York, has died at age 92 from a stroke. Milder, who moved from Omaha to New York after high school, was a bold artist and cooperative gallerist who championed informal, improvisational works. He co-founded City Gallery with Red Grooms in 1958, hosting early New York shows for now-revered artists including Claes Oldenburg and Jim Dine. His series "Subway Runners" (1960–64) debuted at Martha Jackson Gallery in 1964 and was revisited in a 2022 solo exhibition at Eric Firestone Gallery, which represented him since 2022. His works are held in major institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum and the New Museum.

Julio Le Parc (1928-2026)

Julio Le Parc, the Argentine-born pioneer of optical and kinetic art, died in Paris on May 30, 2026, at age 97. A co-founder of the Groupe de recherche d'art visuel (GRAV) in 1960, he rejected the myth of the inspired artist in favor of collective work, industrial materials, and reproducible devices that engaged the viewer's physical movement. His career included winning the Grand Prix international de peinture at the Venice Biennale in 1966, political activism during May 1968 (leading to his temporary expulsion from France), and major exhibitions at institutions such as the Palais de Tokyo, Centre Pompidou-Metz, and Pérez Art Museum Miami.

Valie Export obituary

Valie Export, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for provocative performances, films, and photographs that challenged the representation of women, has died at age 85. Born Waltraud Lehner, she renamed herself Valie Export in 1967 and became a central figure in the global feminist art movement, creating works such as "Touch and Grope Cinema" (1968) and "Action Pants: Genital Panic" (1969) that used her body to disrupt male gaze and social conventions. Her practice spanned expanded cinema, sculpture, and photography, and she was associated with Viennese Actionism while critiquing its sexism.

Julio Le Parc, Pioneer of Kinetic Art and Venice Biennale Prize Winner, Dies at 97

Julio Le Parc, the Argentine-born pioneer of kinetic art and winner of the Grand Prize for Painting at the 1966 Venice Biennale, died on May 30 in Paris at age 97. His son Yamil confirmed the death to La Nación; Le Parc had been hospitalized after a decline in health and died at the American Hospital in Paris. He had been eagerly anticipating a major retrospective scheduled to open at Tate Modern on June 11, which surveys nearly seven decades of his career.

Nigel Dunnett obituary

Nigel Dunnett, a pioneering landscape designer, horticulturist, and educator known for transforming urban spaces with ecologically rich and visually dramatic naturalistic planting, has died at age 63 from cancer. His major projects included the Superbloom installation in the moat of the Tower of London for Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee in 2022, the planting design for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the 2012 London Olympics, and a diamond jubilee garden at Buckingham Palace. He also worked on community-scale projects like a rooftop garden on the Old Kent Road and was involved in designs for Battersea Power Station, the Barbican, and Grosvenor Square.