Jackie Ferrara, a New York-based artist known for her stacked-wood sculptures, died by physician-assisted suicide in Basel, Switzerland, on October 22 at age 95. She told the New York Times she had fallen twice in the past year and did not want to be dependent on anyone. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland even for those who are not terminally ill.
Ferrara was a significant figure in the downtown New York art world for over half a century. Her use of organic materials like wood for geometric structures set her apart from Minimalist peers who favored steel and concrete. Her work is held by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Her death highlights ongoing debates around end-of-life choices and the legacy of a generation of artists who shaped postwar American art.