Hyperallergic's weekly "In Memoriam" column honors seven recently deceased figures from the art world, including German painter Paula Kamps (1990–2026), who died at 36. Kamps was known for her delicate watercolor-like paintings of fragmented figures, flowers, and daily life, and had solo exhibitions at Galerie Christine Mayer in Munich, M. LeBlanc in Chicago, and Sans titre in Paris. The column also pays tribute to Miami graffiti legend Eric Alan Hirt ("ESON"), master ceramicist Lucy Edwards, Greek museum founder Anna Kafetsi, abstract painter Tess Jaray, Sotheby's auctioneer John Marion, and counterculture artist Ben Morea.
The piece matters because it collectively memorializes a diverse range of visual artists and art-world figures whose contributions span painting, ceramics, street art, museum leadership, and auctioneering. By highlighting Kamps's rare sensitivity and international reach, the article underscores the loss of a promising young painter whose work had already entered institutional collections like the X Museum in Beijing. The broader obituary roundup also serves as a snapshot of the art community's recent losses, from established abstract painters to underground icons.