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.
The article matters because it serves as a comprehensive year-end tribute, reminding the art community of the lasting influence these individuals had across painting, sculpture, photography, curation, broadcasting, and patronage. Their deaths mark the end of significant chapters in contemporary art history, from conceptual art and Chinese contemporary art to African art advocacy and documentary photography. The piece underscores the breadth of the art world's loss in 2025 and the enduring legacy of these figures.