in memoriam 2024

Artnet News published an alphabetical in memoriam list commemorating art world figures who died in 2024, including printmaker Norman Ackroyd, museum director Hope Alswang, sculptor Carl Andre, curator and writer David Anfam, painter Frank Auerbach, and gallerist Patti Astor. Each entry includes a brief tribute highlighting their key achievements and contributions, such as Ackroyd's meticulous printmaking techniques, Alswang's diversification of the Norton Museum of Art's collection, Andre's foundational role in Minimalism, Anfam's influential scholarship on Abstract Expressionism, Auerbach's distinctive painterly style, and Astor's pioneering East Village gallery.

cultural figures remember late frank gehry internationally renowned museum starchitect

Frank Gehry, the visionary architect behind iconic cultural landmarks such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, died on December 5 at age 96. Over the weekend, art and architecture figures including artist Rob Pruitt, Serpentine Galleries artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist, and leaders of institutions like the Guggenheim Bilbao, LACMA, and the J. Paul Getty Trust shared personal remembrances and tributes, highlighting his groundbreaking designs, enduring friendships, and profound influence.

hisachika takahashi rauschenberg assistant artist dead

Hisachika Takahashi, an artist who worked as an assistant to Robert Rauschenberg and earlier to Lucio Fontana, has died at age 85. His death was announced by Misako & Rosen, a Tokyo gallery collaborating with Hong Kong's Empty Gallery on a current exhibition of his work. Takahashi remained relatively obscure for decades despite close ties to major figures like Jasper Johns, Brice Marden, and Gordon Matta-Clark, whom he enlisted for his project "From Memory Draw a Map of the United States." He also introduced sushi and sashimi to the menu at Food, the famed artist-run restaurant in New York. In recent years, his work gained renewed attention through efforts by artist Yuki Okumura, leading to exhibitions at WIELS Centre for Contemporary Art in Brussels and Fondazione Prada in Milan.

art world figures remember late patron agnes gund a legend and icon

Agnes Gund, a towering art collector and patron of New York's Museum of Modern Art, died Thursday in Manhattan at age 87. Following the announcement, artists and cultural workers including Roxana Marcoci, Glenn Ligon, Lorna Simpson, and Hoor Al Qasimi honored her memory on social media, recalling her friendship, generosity, and commitment to social justice. Gund spearheaded MoMA's 1990s expansion, founded the arts education nonprofit Studio in the School in 1977, and in 2017 sold Roy Lichtenstein's "Masterpiece" (1962) to launch the Art for Justice Fund, a $100 million grant initiative for criminal justice reform.

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*.

In memoriam: remembering art world figures who died in 2025

This article from The Art Newspaper, published as 2026 begins, memorializes key figures from the art world who died in 2025. The list includes artist and activist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, filmmaker and artist David Lynch, conceptual artist Mel Bochner, collector and patron Guy Ullens (co-founder of Beijing's UCCA), curator Koyo Kouoh (the first African woman to curate the Venice Biennale), photographer Sebastião Salgado, broadcaster Alan Yentob, and sculptor Joel Shapiro. Each entry summarizes their career highlights and contributions.

Remembering Raghu Rai, Jack Thornell, and Jarvis Rockwell

Hyperallergic's weekly 'In Memoriam' column honors eight recently deceased figures from the art world, including Indian photojournalist Raghu Rai (1942–2026), Argentine abstract painter Ides Kihlen (1917–2026), Israeli painter and activist Yair Garbuz (1945–2026), British photographer Mark Gerson (1921–2026), Japanese art collector Kurt Gitter (1937–2026), Danish antiquities dealer Ittai Gradel (1965–2026), indigo textile artist Leigh Magar (1968–2026), and Kenyan muralist Patrick Mukabi (1967–2026). Each entry summarizes their life, career highlights, and contributions to visual art and photography.

ashley stewart rodder dead gagosian director

Ashley Stewart Rödder, a highly respected director at Gagosian, has passed away at the age of 42 following a prolonged illness. During her tenure at the gallery since 2019, she was instrumental in managing the careers of prominent contemporary artists including Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Stanley Whitney, Titus Kaphar, and Deana Lawson. Her career also included significant leadership roles at Salon 94 and David Zwirner, as well as board positions at the nonprofit Performa and the Children’s Art Guild.

dara birnbaum lynn hershman leeson tribute

This tribute article recounts the profound impact of artist Dara Birnbaum's work on the author, describing a chance meeting with Birnbaum at MoMA's café and the subsequent friendship that developed. It highlights Birnbaum's pioneering role in video art, including her manipulation of single video frames and use of color bars, and cites key works like "Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman" (1978–79), "Local TV News Analysis" (1980), and "MTV: Artbreak" (1987) that deconstructed mass media and gender representation.

architect michael graves dead

Architect and designer Michael Graves has died at age 80 of natural causes at his home in Princeton, New Jersey. Known for iconic projects such as the Portland Municipal Services Building, the Denver Public Library, and the Alessi tea kettle for Target, Graves was a leading figure in postmodern architecture. His death prompted tributes from fellow architects Tod Williams and Richard Meier, who recalled his teaching at Princeton University and his influence on the field. Graves also designed the Humana Building, Team Disney building, and Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, and in later years focused on accessibility projects after becoming paralyzed from a spinal cord infection.

koyo kouoh remembered

Koyo Kouoh, the acclaimed Cameroonian-born curator and director of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, has died at age 57 after a battle with cancer. Tributes pour in from artists Robin Rhode and Julie Mehretu, curator Azu Nwagbogu, and colleagues like Mandla Sibeko, who mourn the loss of a towering figure in African and global contemporary art. Kouoh was also set to serve as artistic director of the 2026 Venice Biennale, making her the first African woman to hold that role.

art agosto machado obituary whitney

Agosto Machado, a legendary downtown New York artist, archivist, and activist, died on March 21, 2026, at an estimated age in his 80s. The article recounts his life through a personal tribute, describing a drag performance in Chicago honoring him, and details his decades-long career as a street queen, Warhol-era fixture, and participant in the Stonewall uprising and first Gay Liberation March. Machado performed in Off-Off-Broadway plays, created solo shows, and amassed an extensive archive of ephemera, art, and photographs of his friends and community.

Alexander Morrison

Alexander Morrison, a prominent figure in the art world, has passed away. The article, published by The Art Newspaper, reports on his death and likely includes tributes to his contributions, though the provided text is limited to subscription prompts and footer information, lacking full details on his life and career.

Ulysses Jenkins (1946–2026), A Black Radical Imagination

The article is a personal tribute by curator Erin Christovale to the late artist Ulysses Jenkins (1946–2026), chronicling their decade-long friendship and collaboration. Christovale recounts how she first encountered Jenkins's video work at the William Grant Still Arts Center in Los Angeles, and how a conversation with Otolith Group's Kodwo Eshun led to her curating Jenkins's work. She describes key moments including Jenkins's video "Planet X" (2006) about Hurricane Katrina, his 1979 work "Two-Zone Transfer" featuring Kerry James Marshall in blackface masks, and the 2021 retrospective "Ulysses Jenkins: Without Your Interpretation" co-curated with Meg Onli at the Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, which later traveled to the Hammer Museum and Julia Stoschek Foundation.

‘Her crotchless trousers are etched in my brain for ever’: Valie Export remembered by the artists she influenced

Valie Export, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for provocative performances like *Tapp-und-Tastkino* (1968) and *Genital Panic* (1969), is remembered by four artists she influenced: Peaches, Florentina Holzinger, Joan Jonas, and Candice Breitz. Each shares personal reflections on Export's radical use of the female body as a political weapon, her confrontational public interventions, and her legacy of civil disobedience against patriarchal structures.

The artist Fabien Verschaere, creator of joyful shambles, has passed away at age 50

L’artiste Fabien Verschaere, auteur de joyeux capharnaüms, s’est éteint à l’âge de 50 ans

The French contemporary artist Fabien Verschaere has passed away suddenly at the age of 50. Known for his dense, colorful, and highly personal visual language, Verschaere was scheduled to receive the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres distinction just days after his death. His work, which drew heavily from childhood imagery and his own experiences with chronic illness, created a bridge between dreams and nightmares through a cast of recurring characters like ghosts, superheroes, and hybrid creatures.

È morto Paolo Masi. La lunga ricerca dell’artista fiorentino sulla trasformazione dei materiali poveri

Paolo Masi, the Florentine artist known for his lifelong exploration of poor materials and their transformation, died in Florence on Wednesday, May 6, just days before his 93rd birthday. His career spanned from informal experiments in the 1950s through a rigorous investigation of materials in the 1960s, including his first solo show at the Strozzina in 1960. He joined the aesthetic research group Centro F/Uno alongside Baldi, Lecci, and Nannucci, and later co-founded the collective spaces Zona (1974) and Base (1998) with Mario Mariotti and Maurizio Nannucci. Masi participated in the Venice Biennale (1978) and the Rome Quadriennale (1986), and his works are held by major museums and foundations internationally. His later years saw significant retrospectives at the Museo MAGA in Gallarate (2018) and at Le Murate in Florence (2018), as well as a 2023 solo show at Florence's Galleria Frittelli, which remembered him as an extraordinary artist and dear friend.

È morto a 88 anni il grande artista tedesco Georg Baselitz

German painter Georg Baselitz, known for his expressionist works that confronted the horrors of Nazi Germany, died on April 30, 2026 at age 88. Born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938, he grew up amid World War II rubble and became a pioneering, anti-conformist figure of the post-war era, famously inverting his images to force viewers to reconstruct meaning. A major exhibition, 'GEORG BASELITZ – AVANTI!', had just opened on March 25 at the Museo Novecento in Florence, focusing on his graphic works and his ties to the city. Another show, 'Georg Baselitz. Eroi d’Oro', was set to open May 6 at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice during the 61st Venice Biennale, featuring large recent paintings and portraits of his wife Elke.

A Tribute to Asher Remy-Toledo

Asher Remy-Toledo, a visionary gallerist, curator, and collector, has passed away after a career spanning over three decades. He founded influential initiatives including Remy Toledo Gallery in Chelsea (2004), Hyphen Hub (2013), No Longer Empty (2009), and Yuanfen Gallery in Beijing, the first new media gallery in mainland China. Remy-Toledo was a tireless champion of women artists, supporting figures such as Carolee Schneemann, Judy Chicago, Mary Beth Edelson, and Ana Mendieta, as well as emerging international artists. He also amassed significant private collections, including works by the article's author and Schneemann's Infinity Kisses series.

Douglas Lees obituary

Douglas Lees, a dedicated architect and community figure, has died at the age of 94. Born in East London and overcoming the physical limitations of Erb’s palsy, Lees spent his career designing diverse structures across England, ranging from new town developments in Merseyside to prison facilities for the Home Office. In his later years, he became a fixture in the village of Hatfield Broad Oak, where he contributed to local planning and captured the local scenery through watercolor painting.

Remembering Melvin Edwards (1937–2026)

The art world mourns the passing of Melvin Edwards, a pioneering American sculptor who died on March 30, 2026. Known for his mastery of steel, iron, and barbed wire, Edwards rose to prominence in the 1960s with works that balanced formal abstraction with the heavy symbolism of chains and industrial materials. His career was marked by significant milestones, including being the first African American sculptor to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in 1970 and his long-standing presence in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

The art world pays tribute to Martin Parr, an ‘extraordinary photographer of people and life in the UK’

Martin Parr, the renowned British photographer known for his vivid, satirical documentation of British life and class, has died at age 73 at his home in Bristol, as announced by the Martin Parr Foundation on 7 November. Tributes have poured in from across the art and photography worlds, including from the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and fellow artists such as Grayson Perry and Joel Meyerowitz. Parr's major projects include *The Last Resort* (1983-85) and *The Cost of Living* (1987-89), and an exhibition of his work, *Global Warning*, is scheduled to open at Jeu de Paume in Paris in January 2026.

Fred Voon

Fred Voon, a prominent figure in the art world, has passed away. The article, published by The Art Newspaper, reports on his death and likely includes tributes and reflections on his career and contributions to the art community.

A snapshot of the photographer Raghu Rai | Brief letters

A letter to the editor from Gabrielle Palmer recounts her experience contacting photographer Raghu Rai in 1987 to request permission to use one of his photographs in her book "The Politics of Breastfeeding." Unable to afford the £200 fee, Palmer called Rai in India, who generously waived the fee entirely and wished her well. The letter is a brief tribute published in response to Rai's obituary in The Guardian.

Remembering Catherine O'Hara, Beetlejuice's Delia Deetz Cover Sculptor

remembering catherine ohara beetlejuice delia deetz cover sculptor

Actress and comedian Catherine O'Hara, known for her role as sculptor Delia Deetz in the 1988 film 'Beetlejuice,' has died at age 71. In the film, her character creates abstract sculptures and achieves a fictional milestone by appearing on the cover of Art in America magazine.

Lloyd Le Blanc obituary

Sculptor Lloyd Le Blanc has died at the age of 85. He was known for creating large-scale bronze works of flora and fauna and, with his wife Judith Holmes Drewry, established the Le Blanc Fine Art foundry and studios in Saxby, Leicestershire. Le Blanc was involved in every stage of his sculptures' creation and also cast works for other artists from his foundry.

Nicole Hollander, Acerbic Feminist Cartoonist, Dies at 86

Nicole Hollander, the creator of the long-running comic strip "Sylvia," has died at the age of 86. For over three decades, she wrote and illustrated the strip, which centered on a tart-tongued, witty woman who freely expressed her many opinions, becoming a staple of feminist humor in American newspapers.

Miami Graffiti Legend Eric Alan Hirt "Eson" Killed in Train Strike

Eric Alan Hirt, known as "Eson," a legendary Miami graffiti artist and member of the Miami Style Gods (MSG) crew, was struck and killed by a Brightline passenger train on May 13 near his home in North Miami. The 47-year-old was walking along the tracks in a designated "quiet zone" where trains do not sound horns; his wife noted he was partially deaf. Hirt gained widespread attention through a 2018 VICE documentary, where he was shown risking his life to tag highways and infrastructure, and openly embraced the label of "vandal." His death marks at least the 206th fatal Brightline strike since 2017, a line previously called the country's most fatal by the Associated Press.