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.
This article matters because it documents the passing of influential figures who shaped art history and criticism across multiple decades. Bischofberger was pivotal in bringing American Pop Art and Neo-Expressionism to European audiences, while Hoelterhoff's Pulitzer-winning criticism set a standard for arts journalism. The collective obituary underscores the breadth of the art ecosystem—from dealers and critics to preparators and iconographers—and serves as a record of the individuals whose work often operates behind the scenes but profoundly impacts the cultural landscape.