Michel Bassompierre, célèbre sculpteur animalier, est décédé à 78 ans
Michel Bassompierre, the celebrated French animal sculptor known for his gentle, rounded bronze and marble bears, gorillas, elephants, and pandas, has died at age 78. He suffered a fatal head injury from a fall following a fainting spell in Nantes on April 21.
Agnes Gund, the influential American arts philanthropist and collector, has died at age 87. Gund was a transformative figure at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, serving on its board from 1976, as president from 1991 to 2002, and later as president emerita. She helped raise funds for MoMA's $858m expansion, donated around 100 works to the museum, and pushed for acquisitions of women and artists of color. Beyond MoMA, she founded Studio in a School in 1977 to bring art education to New York City public schools and co-chaired a Sotheby's auction to support Miss Porter's School. Her death was first reported by The New York Times; she is survived by four children.
Steven Durland, a longtime editor of *High Performance* magazine and a champion of performance art, died on March 11 at age 75 after a brief illness. His life partner, Linda Frye Burnham, confirmed his death in Saxapahaw, North Carolina. Durland was born in Long Beach, California, raised in South Dakota, and trained as a ceramic artist with a BFA from the University of South Dakota and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He became deeply involved in performance and mail art, and from 1986 to 1994 served as editor of *High Performance*, a magazine founded by Burnham that featured thousands of artists including Nancy Buchanan, Carolee Schneemann, Paul McCarthy, Suzanne Lacy, and Ulysses Jenkins. Durland also maintained his own artistic practice, creating performances such as "Win Defeat/BID FOR POWER" (1978) and "Death and Taxis" (1982), and produced the micro-newspaper *Tacit*.
French sculptor Michel Bassompierre has died at age 78. Known for his monumental bronze and marble animal sculptures—polar bears, gorillas, elephants, pandas, and horses—he depicted them in moments of rest and balance, simplifying forms in the tradition of François Pompon. Bassompierre studied at the École des beaux arts de Rouen under René Leleu, taught applied arts, and later worked with foundries including Venturi Arte in Italy. His major exhibitions include "Fragiles colosses" at the Jardin des plantes in Paris (2019) and a show at the Musée Despiau Wlérick (2021). In February 2025, the municipality of Vertou announced plans for a Michel Bassompierre museum, slated to open in 2028. He was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2010, received the Légion d'honneur in January 2025, and was promoted to Officier des Arts et des Lettres on April 1, 2025.
Sebastião Salgado, the legendary Brazilian photographer known for his monumental documentary projects capturing collective humanity and environmental activism, has died. Born in 1944 in Aimorés, Brazil, Salgado studied economics at the University of São Paulo and was exiled to France for political activism before turning to photography in the 1970s. He joined Magnum Photos in 1979 and went on to create epic, multi-year projects such as "Workers" (1986-93), "Migrations" (1993-99), "Genesis" (2005-13), and "Amazônia" (2011-19), which redefined documentary practice through total immersion and scale. His work earned him the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador role, and numerous awards including the W. Eugene Smith Grant and the Royal Photographic Society’s Centenary Medal.