Obituaries
Laila Shawa—a revolutionary Palestinian artist who found international fame—has died, aged 82
The artist and activist, described as the ‘mother of Arabic revolutionary art’ has work in the collections of the British Museum and the Ashmolean
Pierre Soulages, who found infinite possibility in black abstract paintings, has died, aged 102
The celebrated French artist remained committed to his singular formal pursuit for decades
Rodney Graham, influential Canadian conceptual artist with a wry sense of humour, has died, aged 73
After coming up among the Vancouver School’s photo-conceptualists, Graham struck out on his own singular, irreverent pursuits
Peter Schjeldahl, the revered art critic for the New Yorker, has died, aged 80
Following stints at Art News and the Village Voice, and as a poet, Schjeldahl joined the New Yorker in 1998, becoming one of the most influential art critics of his generation
Billy Al Bengston, painter who epitomised the visual lexicon of California culture, has died, aged 88
The artist was best-known for his abstract lacquered works and played a key role in the development of the Los Angeles art scene in the 1960s
Dimitrios Pandermalis, director and curator of the Acropolis Museum in Athens, has died, aged 82
Pandermalis, a revered archaeologist and professor, had also been outspoken in calling for the reunification of all the Parthenon marbles in Athens
Remembering Claes Oldenburg: reluctant Pop Art pioneer and maker of outsize sculptures
The artist denied that his huge sculptures of everyday objects were Pop Art, insisting he was not trying to make a comment consumerism or capitalism with them
William Klein, photographer who captured the bustle of New York City and brought high fashion into the streets, has died, aged 96
Klein, a native New Yorker, moved to Paris in the Second World War’s aftermath and forged an oeuvre spanning photography, film and painting
Russian artist Dmitry Vrubel, who created famous Brezhnev-Honecker kiss mural on Berlin Wall, has died aged 62
The dissident painter suffered heart failure while being treated for Covid-19 in Germany
Jennifer Bartlett, a painter known for her conceptual approach and grids, has died, aged 81
Bartlett studied with some of the titans of Conceptual and Minimalist art, applying their lessons to her relentlessly inventive painting practice
Seminal Pop Art artist Claes Oldenburg has died, aged 93
“The one rule of my work is that it must not have any function,” Oldenburg said in an interview, “I begin by removing the function of the thing because it’s true function is to become an artwork.”
Brazilian art collector Gilberto Chateaubriand has died, aged 97
Chateaubriand, son of the MASP founder Assis Chateaubriand, held one of the most important collections of Brazilian Modern and contemporary art
Fulya Erdemci, the Turkish curator and former director of the Istanbul Biennial, has died
She will be remembered for her commitment to exploring the relationship between public space and contemporary art
Margaret Keane, widely popular painter of big-eyed figures, has died at age 94
For decades, Keane’s hugely lucrative painting practice was controlled by her husband, who took credit for her canvases
Sam Gilliam, a painter revered for draped canvases rich in colour, has died, aged 88
The abstract painter associated with the Washington Color School achieved global renown beginning in the 1970s for his unique uses of colour and canvas
Remembering Paula Rego: an artist who could realise wondrous and disturbing scenes with unflinching honesty
The Portuguese-born artist, who died this month aged 87, is known for her dark visual story telling, but was herself warm, curious and generous
Austrian collector Heidi Goëss-Horten has died, aged 81, days after her new museum opens
The Heidi Horten Collection in Vienna includes works by Andy Warhol, Lucio Fontana and Damien Hirst
Artist Paula Rego—known for her mythical depictions of modern femininity—has died, aged 87
The British-Portuguese artist, a key figure in The London Group collective, gained a huge retrospective at Tate Britain last year and is a key presence in this year's Venice Biennale
American painter Knox Martin has died aged 99
The artist was a New York School painter and longtime fixture of the New York art world who Robert Rauschenberg considered a “mentor”
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan—the UAE's president who oversaw major cultural projects including Louvre Abu Dhabi—has died, aged 73
The art landscape of the United Arab Emirates came to prominence during the Sheikh's rule from 2004
Abdulamir Al-Hamdani, the revered archaeologist and former Iraqi culture minister, has died, aged 55
Hamdani, who served as Iraq’s culture minister from 2018 to 2020, played a vital role in rescuing, restoring and cataloguing the country’s ancient heritage
Grenville Davey, British sculptor, has died, aged 60
The self-effacing artist's subtle work beat flashier rivals such as Damien Hirst to win the Turner Prize
Hermann Nitsch, known for bloody and ritualistic performances that often confronted moral taboos, has died, aged 83
The revered avant-garde artist was prone to shocking audiences with the use of blood, carcases and viscera in his performances
Remembering Ashton Hawkins, art lawyer, longtime Metropolitan Museum counsel and friend of Andy Warhol
Hawkins, a pioneer in the field of art law, has died at age 84
Philip Hewat-Jaboor, chairman of Masterpiece London, has died
The art consultant and collector passed away after a brief, sudden illness last week
Delfina Entrecanales, arts patron who founded the Delfina Foundation, has died, aged 94
A uniquely generous supporter of the arts who had been likened to a contemporary Medici, Entrecanales gave hundreds of artists the time and space to create but never demanded works in return
Budi Tek, art collector, museum founder and tireless champion of Chinese art, has died aged 65
Tributes pour in for the Indonesian-Chinese businessman who founded the Yuz Museum Shanghai in 2014
Jim Denomie, Ojibwe artist who painted the ‘raw realities of America’, has died, aged 66
At the time of his death, following a battle with cancer, Denomie was preparing for a major solo museum show in 2023