joel shapiro icons 2025

Joel Shapiro, the acclaimed American sculptor known for his abstract wooden and bronze figures, died June 14 at age 83. In the weeks before his death, he gave a career-spanning interview to Max Norman for ARTnews, reflecting on his legacy. The article describes Shapiro's final New York show at Pace Gallery in fall 2024, which featured large works like "Splay" (2024), "Wave" (2024), and his largest wooden sculpture "ARK" (2020/2023–24), alongside small models and bronzes. It also offers a glimpse into his Long Island City studio, where he constantly experimented with form, material, and scale.

Agosto Machado, Artist and Activist Whose Shrine Sculptures Kept Queer History Alive, Has Died

Agosto Machado, an artist and activist central to New York's Downtown scene and a participant in the 1969 Stonewall uprising, has died following a brief illness. His gallery, Gordon Robichaux, announced his passing but, respecting his wishes, did not disclose his age. Machado was known for creating intricate shrine sculptures from collected ephemera to honor figures from his community, and one of these altars is currently featured in the 2024 Whitney Biennial.

agosto machado artist activist dead whitney biennial

Agosto Machado, a seminal figure in the Downtown New York art scene and a veteran of the Stonewall uprising, has died following a brief illness. Known as a 'pre-Stonewall street queen,' Machado transitioned from a community activist and archivist to a recognized artist whose intricate altar sculptures are currently featured in the 2024 Whitney Biennial. His work, which utilizes found objects and ephemera to create shrines for queer icons and AIDS victims, serves as a vital act of 'ancestor worship' and historical preservation for a community often marginalized by mainstream institutions.

influential french gallerist daniel lelong dies 92

Daniel Lelong, the influential French gallerist who cultivated deep relationships with 20th-century modern artists, died at age 92. Lelong began his career drafting statutes for the Marguerite and Aimé Maeght Foundation before working at Galerie Maeght, where he organized exhibitions for icons like Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, and Alberto Giacometti. After Maeght's death in 1981, Lelong became director of Galerie Maeght-Lelong alongside Jean Frémon and Jacques Dupin, and the gallery was renamed Galerie Lelong & Co. in 1987, with locations in New York and Zurich. He showed at the first Art Basel in 1970 and maintained close ties with artists such as Jaume Plensa, Jannis Kounellis, and Sean Scully.

Valie Export, Avant-Garde Icon and Feminist Trailblazer, Dies at 85

Valie Export, the Austrian avant-garde artist known for her radical feminist performances, films, and sculptures, has died at age 85. Her gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac, announced her death, noting her groundbreaking work in the 1960s and 1970s introduced a new form of embodied feminism to Europe. Export, born Waltraud Lehner in Linz, Austria, changed her name in 1967 and became known for provocative works such as "Aktionshose: Genitalpanik" (1969) and "Tap and Touch Cinema" (1968–1971), which challenged voyeurism and the sexualization of women's bodies. She also co-founded the Austrian Filmmakers Cooperative in 1968 and was commissioned by the Austrian Broadcast Corporation for her film "Facing the Family" (1971).

Death of Artist Fabien Verschaere

Disparition de l’artiste Fabien Verschaere

The French contemporary art world is mourning the sudden death of artist Fabien Verschaere at the age of 50. Represented by Galerie Brugier-Rigail since 2012, Verschaere was known for a prolific and singular body of work that blended childhood imagery, fairy tales, and pop culture icons like Mickey Mouse and Batman into a complex personal mythology. His career was marked by significant exhibitions at major institutions including the Palais de Tokyo, the Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon, and the Grand Palais.

iconic fashion designer art collector valentino garavani dead 93

Italian fashion designer and art collector Valentino Garavani died in Rome on January 19 at age 93. Born in Voghera, he moved to Paris for fashion studies, worked for Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, then launched his own brand in Rome in 1959. Known for elegant gowns worn by icons like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana, he retired in 2008. Garavani and his longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti built significant art collections; Garavani sold a Basquiat painting for $67 million at Christie’s in 2023, and Giammetti sold another for $93 million in 2021. Garavani also owned works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, and de Kooning. In 2024, he opened PM23, an exhibition space in Rome run by the Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, which launched its second show, “Venus,” featuring Joana Vasconcelos, two days before his death.