NewsObituaries
Soedarmadji Jean Henry Damais, Indonesian curator and historian, dies aged 78
The last director of the Jakarta History Museum was a leading advocate of the archipelago's traditional arts, crafts and designs
NewsObituaries
Former Bonhams owner Robert Brooks dies
The ambitious auctioneer started out in car racing before going into art and antiques, eventually retiring to his farm near Exmoor to rear a herd of beef cattle
NewsObituaries
Chuck Close, artist of monumental pictures and a monumental fall, dies at 81
The debate over the artist's place in post-1970 history, quiet since allegations against him were made in 2017, is sure to gather steam
NewsObituaries
Chuck Close, Photo Realist painter of large-scale portraits, has died, aged 81
The outsize artist retreated from public attention in his later years, following a diagnosis of dementia in 2015 and accusations of sexual harassment in 2017
NewsObituaries
Kaari Upson, Los Angeles artist who obsessively explored identity, family and Americana, has died, aged 51
The artist was known for years-long, multi-pronged projects based on singular figures—such her mother or a mysterious man she dubbed “Larry”—and subjects
NewsObituaries
'Unafraid of upsetting the applecart': leading Rembrandt scholar Ernst van de Wetering has died, aged 83
The Dutch art historian, who worked on the Rembrandt Research Project for 47 years, made radical changes to the study of the Old Master painter
NewsObituaries
Dealer Inge Baecker, a pioneer of the Fluxus movement, dies in German floods
The gallerist was ill at home in Bad Münstereifel, one of the worst-hit towns
NewsContemporary art
Christian Boltanski made a work that live-streamed his Paris studio. What will happen to it now that he has died?
After a boozy dinner in Paris, the French conceptual artist proposed the work to David Walsh, the founder of Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art—and it has been running for over a decade
NewsObituaries
Christian Boltanski, French conceptual artist, has died, aged 76
The artist, who was born just two weeks after Paris was liberated from Nazi control, was known for work that explored memory, loss and personal as well as cultural history
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Jackie Matisse, a pioneer of kite art and art in virtual reality who had a special feel for chance and the power of collaboration
She saw 'flying art' as a collaboration with wind and light and found ways to 'fly' her kites underwater and in galleries, kept in motion with blown air and mechanical reels
NewsObituaries
Arturo Luz, one of Asia’s most influential modernists, has died in Manila, aged 94
A key figure in Filipino neo-realism, Luz also co-founded and directed many of the country's leading art spaces
NewsObituaries
Eric Carle, author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has died, aged 91
The artist’s early life in Germany exploring nature and the devastation and malnutrition his family experienced during the Second World War add personal poignancy to his later children’s books
NewsObituaries
Tair Salakhov, leading painter and 'father of new Russian art', has died aged 92
The Azerbaijani-born artist was one of the Soviet Union's most notable creatives during Khrushchev's cultural thaw
NewsObituaries
Mary Beth Edelson, feminist art pioneer, has died, aged 88
She was a founding member of the Heresies Collective and made activism as well as spirituality a major part of her practice
NewsObituaries
'Restless, experimental and enigmatic': Brazilian artist Carlito Carvalhosa has died, aged 59
He was the first living Brazilian artist to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York
NewsObituaries
Karl Wirsum, life-long Chicago painter and member of the Hairy Who, has died, aged 81
An early interest in comics never left him, as could be seen in his colourful figurative work that reflected a love of robots and toys, as well as an admiration for El Greco
NewsObituaries
Patrick O’Connell, Visual Aids founder, has died, aged 67
The activist helped develop perhaps the most well known symbol of HIV and Aids awareness: the red ribbon
FeatureLos Angeles
Eli Broad, an unexpected—and often unreasonable—arts patron
The self-made billionaire helped shape the Los Angeles art scene, while clashing with most of its prominent museum leaders
NewsObituaries
Eli Broad, who helped reshape the cultural landscape of Los Angeles, has died, aged 87
Billionaire art collector, businessman and philanthropist founded the museum that bears his name and helped shore up Disney Concert Hall, Lacma and MOCA
NewsObituaries
William T. Wiley, a founder of the Bay Area Funk Art movement and influential art teacher, has died, aged 83
A dedicated mentor, he also delighted in provocative enigmas in wide-ranging mediums
NewsObituaries
Hans Rasmus Astrup—the intensely private founder of Oslo’s Astrup Fearnley Museet—has died, aged 82
The Norwegian collector took an “early chance” on Damien Hirst and in 2001 bought Jeff Koons’s Michael Jackson and Bubbles sculpture for a then record $5.6m
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Gianluigi Colalucci, who oversaw the 14-year restoration of Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel
The restorer expertly honoured the "oneness of a work of art" and always balanced its historical and aesthetic qualities
NewsObituaries
Contemporary Greek artist Kornelios Grammenos has died, aged 62
The sculptor and painter was known for his disarming Alien and Knight sculptures, installed in Greece and abroad
NewsObituaries
Donald R. Sobey, one of Canada’s greatest cultural philanthropists, has died, aged 86
The son of the Sobey’s grocery chain founder was a huge supporter of artists, and helped establish the country’s main art prize
NewsObituaries
Ernesto Mallard, resolute leader of Mexican Op-Art, has died, aged 89
After causing a sensation early in his career in the 1960s, the sculptor and visual artist retreated from the gallery scene, and was only recently re-acknowledged
NewsObituaries
Vicente Rojo, Renaissance man of 20th-century Mexican culture, has died, aged 89
The painter, sculpture and graphic designer helped define the Modern style for a generation
BlogThe Buck stopped here
'Raw pop perfection': remembering artist Duggie Fields
NewsObituaries
Richard Driehaus, Chicago philanthropist and architecture patron, dies at 79
After purchasing and renovating the 1883 Nickerson House, he opened the historic mansion as an art and design museum
NewsObituaries
Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, founder of National Museum of Women in the Arts, has died aged 98
The historian built a seed collection of 500 works by women artists, as well as documents and research, with the hope of filling a gap in the art canon
NewsObituaries
Paul Klee’s grandson Alexander Klee, artist and arts patron, dies aged 80
Bern's Zentrum Paul Klee will devote an exhibition to the artist this summer
NewsObituaries
Barbara Ess, photographer and musician, has died, aged 73
The No Wave pioneer was also know for her lo-fi pinhole images
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Alan Bowness, Tate director who helped change public attitudes to contemporary art
His successor at the London institution pays personal tribute to the persuasive and effective British curator, writer and critic
FeatureObituaries
Alan Bowness, museum director who established the Turner Prize and Tate Liverpool, has died aged 93
Scholar with an international outlook who was director of the Henry Moore Foundation and executor of his mother-in-law, Barbara Hepworth
FeatureObituaries
Thirty-seven years with Richard Feigen: the dealer who was a collector first—and sold to feed his habit
Frances Beatty remembers a mentor who would rather give you a lecture on Max Beckmann or Peter Saul than sell you a Van Gogh, but who could do both
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Richard Feigen, the high-profile dealer with an outsider's straight-talking outlook on the art industry
New York gallerist railed against auction houses, the inflation of prices and reputations, the industrial expansion of the art market, while still doing great business
NewsObituaries
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet, painter, and founder of San Francisco’s City Lights bookstore, has died, aged 101
Throughout his life, he continued to paint and write books, showing his literature-infused art in New York just last year
NewsObituaries
Arturo Di Modica, sculptor behind New York’s Charging Bull, has died aged 80
In response to the stock market crash, Di Modica illegally installed Charging Bull in front of the New York Stock Exchange in 1989
NewsObituaries
Teresa Burga, trailblazing Peruvian conceptualist artist, has died, aged 86
Although overlooked by art institutions until only recently, she continued to create work about artificial systems and bureaucracies during a 30-year career in Lima's customs office
FeatureObituaries
Daniel Wolf, collector and lover of the great outdoors who changed the museum world's attitude to photography, has died, aged 65
Formed a peerless photography collection for the J Paul Getty Museum and curated the landmark 1989 Royal Academy exhibition to mark 150 years of the art form
NewsObituaries
Artist Charles McGee, a central figure in Detroit’s art scene, has died, aged 96
Through his community programmes and art spaces, the artist and organiser “profoundly impacted the daily lives” of people in the city
NewsObituaries
'Constantly curious, uninterested in the market-led view': pioneering curator and writer Guy Brett has died, aged 78
His influential texts and exhibitions looked beyond Europe and the US to art from Latin America and Asia
NewsArt market
‘The ultimate dealer of Old Master paintings’: New York dealer Richard Feigen has died, aged 90
The Met director Max Hollein pays tribute to the late gallery owner and collector, who also promoted artists from Max Beckmann to Peter Saul
NewsObituaries
Barry Le Va, pioneer of Process Art, has died, aged 79
The uncompromising artist turn down many exhibition offers but never veered from his vision for a work
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Sam Herman, pioneering glass artist and teacher who also won recognition for his paintings and welded-steel sculptures
One of the first pupils of Harvey Littleton at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he brought the studio glass movement to Britain, and beyond, in the mid-1960s
NewsObituaries
In memoriam: remembering art world figures who died in 2020
John Baldessari, Beverly Pepper, Irina Antonova and Christo were among those who died last year
NewsObituaries
Artist David Medalla—the kinetic art pioneer known for his Cloud Canyons foam sculptures—has died, aged 82
Tributes paid to Manila-born trailblazer who co-founded hugely influential Signals gallery in 1960s London
NewsObituaries
Art historian Barbara Rose—Minimalism cheerleader and champion of women artists—has died, aged 84
Her memoir, entitled The Girl Who Loved Artists, is yet to be published
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Ian Jenkins, a scholar and British Museum curator who enriched all who met him with his passion for classical Greece
He was devoted to rediscovering the history of the museum's ancient sculpture collections and improving the display and understanding of the Parthenon Marbles
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Brigid Berlin: Mainstay of Andy Warhol's Factory who pioneered art of self-representation using Polaroids and cassettes
An upper-class rebel who became Warhol's best friend and "the only person who could yell at him"
PreviewObituaries
Join us for a free memorial lecture in honour of the life and achievements of the late Getty curator Gillian Wilson
Presented by the Furniture History Society in association with the French Porcelain Society, the event will take place on 6 December on Zoom
NewsObituaries
James Demetrion, director who shaped the Hirshhorn Museum’s collection, has died, aged 90
The much loved leader is remembered for his unpretentiousness and his warmth, as well as his pioneering vision
NewsObituaries
Irina Antonova, who was director of the Pushkin for over 50 years, has died, aged 98
The art historian began her career at the museum in 1945 under Stalin
NewsObituaries
Ruth DeYoung Kohler II, Outsider art champion and Art Preserve founder, has died, aged 79
She helped establish the John Michael Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin as one of the leading institutions dedicated to self-taught artists
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Lindy Dufferin, artist and entrepreneur who used her Northern Ireland home as a centre of community and cultural exchange
A student of Duncan Grant and Oskar Kokoschka whose Clandeboye Yoghurt pictures made her the world’s “most famous disposable artist”
NewsArt market
Billionaire art collector Sheldon Solow's tax-exempt art foundation was infamously inaccessible—now his widow says she will open it to the public
The real estate developer died on Tuesday aged 92. His collection in New York has been parodied for being almost impossible to visit despite receiving tax breaks
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Kenzo Takada, the designer and artist who created the first global, multicultural, fashion brand
In everything he made—clothes, spectacles inspired by his trademark round lenses, home furnishings, parfumerie—Takada's love of fine art remained close at hand
NewsCollectors
Actor Samuel L. Jackson and footballer Samuel Eto’o pay tribute to art collector Sindika Dokolo during six-hour televised memorial
Dokolo was buried at Brompton Cemetery in West London yesterday following his funeral at Westminster Cathedral
NewsObituaries
Gordon Baldwin, longtime Getty photography curator, has died, aged 81
A former artist and fixture of Warhol’s Factory, the curator got his start at the Getty cataloguing two important photography collections
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Terence Conran: a design maestro who rose alongside groovy London in the Swinging Sixties
From Habitat to the Design Museum, from the Soup Kitchen to Quaglino’s, he transformed Britain’s cultural landscape
NewsCollectors
Congolese collector Sindika Dokolo reportedly dies in Dubai diving accident
Tributes pour in for “defender of African art”—who was also being investigated by Angolan authorities
NewsObituaries
'King of colour': tributes paid to Moroccan artist Mohamed Melehi who has died of Covid-19, aged 84
The abstract painter transformed the art scene in post-colonial Morocco
NewsObituaries
British photographer Chris Killip remembered after battle with cancer
Harvard professor's depiction of Newcastle's industrial decline became an icon of British documentary photography
NewsObituaries
Robert Bechtle, Bay Area photorealist whose work captured the magic of everyday moments, has died, aged 88
The painter created hyper realistic images based on photographs he took in his Bay Area neighbourhood
NewsObituaries
Erich Marx, Berlin collector and patron, dies age 99
His collection of works by Warhol, Twombly, Beuys and Kiefer is on long-term loan to the Berlin museums
NewsObituaries
Forrest Fenn, known for burying $2m worth of treasure in the Rocky Mountains, dies at 90
The controversial yet colourful Santa Fe-based art and antiquities dealer announced that his treasure had been found shortly before his death
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Luchita Hurtado, painter, eco-warrior and witness to a century of art
The Venezuelan artist— associated with the founders of European Surrealism and the New York School in the 1940s—centred her art on nature and her own life story, and became a sensation in her 99th year
NewsObituaries
Siah Armajani, the Iranian-American conceptual artist, has died, aged 81
Artist and exploratory thinker delved into architectural imagery, including revitalised bridges and poetic farm buildings
NewsObituaries
Luchita Hurtado, painter who gained greater fame later in life, has died, aged 99
A recurring theme of the artist’s enormous body of work is the cosmic unity of all things
NewsObituaries
'Adventurer scholar' Douglas Latchford dies in Bangkok, aged 89
Expert in Khmer and Indian antiquities was a dealer in Cambodian art in the 1970s and last year was accused of smuggling and creating false provenances for antiquities
NewsObituaries
'Remember her name and nobody else's': shock at suspected murder of curator Rebeccah Blum
Artist Saul Fletcher—who is believed to have committed suicide at Blum's country home—killed her in his Berlin flat where her body was found
NewsObituaries
Neon pioneer Keith Sonnier—who has died aged 78—honoured with exhibition at New York's Dia Beacon
The late artist was a key figure in the 1960s post-Minimalist New York art scene
NewsObituaries
Frank Popper—the historian at the forefront of art’s digital revolution—has died, aged 102
Expert in art and technology led the way in documenting the development of "virtual art"
NewsObituaries
Jane Walentas, arts philanthropist who restored historic carousel in Brooklyn, has died, aged 76
The “mother of Dumbo” helped keep the arts in the neighbourhood through studio residencies and subsidised rent
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Christo: a master wrapper whose boundless tenacity and charm redefined how art transforms its surroundings
With his late wife, Jeanne-Claude, the artist was a dreamer who got to realise his monumental, but ephemeral, dreams, all of them self-funded
NewsObituaries
Milton Glaser, the man behind ‘I ♥ NY’ logo, has died, aged 91
The influential designer helped define the visual culture of the 1960s and 70s in America
NewsObituaries
Manuel Felguérez, Mexican abstract master, has died, aged 91
The artist broke with tradition in the post-war years and was an early pioneer of film and digital art,
NewsLi Zhensheng
In memoriam: Chinese dissident photojournalist Li Zhensheng, chronicler of China's Cultural Revolution
Li, who died aged 79, spent his life “striving to bear witness and document history”
NewsObituaries
Gaylord Chan—one of the last of a generation of Hong Kong Modernist painters—has died, aged 95
The artist was known for his brightly coloured abstract works, and as the founder of an art school that fostered a new generation of well-known artists
InterviewChristo
In one of his last interviews, Christo speaks about life in lockdown and wrapping the Arc de Triomphe
The late artist revealed he was too frightened to go out during the pandemic and was "a bit relieved" that his latest project in Paris was delayed
NewsObituaries
'A healing machine meant to bring people together': art world figures pay tribute to Christo's vision
Pamm director says Miami island project brought the community together after 1980s race riots
NewsObituaries
Christo, who wrapped the Reichstag and installed The Gates in Central Park, has died, aged 84
With his late wife and partner Jeanne-Claude, the artist created monumental interventions on architecture and landscape
NewsObituaries
Alice Negley 'Lisa' Dorn, Texas arts philanthropist, has died, aged 69
The granddaughter of Alice Pratt Brown was part of a long line of patrons, and her daughter Fairfax Dorn founded Ballroom Marfa
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Germano Celant, champion of Arte Povera and a noted curator, critic and historian on both sides of the Atlantic
Italian impresario was a curator of contemporary art at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and artistic director at the Fondazione Prada in Milan
NewsObituaries
Adam Henein—the Egyptian sculptor who spent a decade restoring the Great Sphinx—has died, aged 91
Rose Issa, curator and friend of the artist, shares the life story of one of the most important sculptors in the Arab world
NewsObituaries
Emma Amos, figurative painter whose work confronted racism, has died, aged 83
The artist's work dealt head-on with what it meant to be an African American woman amidst the civil rights movement, and she was a member of such collectives as Spiral and the Guerilla Girls
NewsObituaries
Susan Rothenberg—painter who shifted the art world away from minimalism—has died, aged 75
Using horses as a central motif, the artist broke down the figure in her canvases to explore emotional expression
NewsObituaries
Brazilian artist Abraham Palatnik has died from coronavirus, aged 92
As the inventor of kinechromatic art, leaves behind "an ineffable legacy"
NewsObituaries
Florian Schneider, co-founder of pioneering electronic band Kraftwerk, has died, aged 73
The experimental musician and his fellow “klangchemiker” Ralf Hütter were known for their highly visual, conceptual sensibility
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Peter Beard, photographer and artist, champion of East African wildlife, friend and collaborator of Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol
Photographer, diarist, and collagist who highlighted the destruction of the African elephant's habitat and bestrode New York society in the era of Studio 54
NewsObituaries
Germano Celant—champion of Arte Povera—dies of coronavirus, aged 80
Critic and curator was also the first to bring together contemporary art and fashion
NewsObituaries
'She transcends genres and brings together beauty, text and form': tributes to Zarina Hashmi who has died, aged 83
The Indian artist was known for her innovations in printmaking and her reflections on the 1947 Partition
NewsObituaries
Betsy Wyeth, wife and collaborator to Andrew Wyeth, has died, aged 98
She introduced the artist to the subject of his most famous painting, Christina’s World—and gave it that title
NewsObituaries
Photographer Peter Beard—friend and muse to Bacon and Warhol—has died aged 82
His body was found almost three weeks after he disappeared from his home in Montauk on the East End of Long Island
Newscoronavirus
Patrick Devedjian—French politician and driving force behind new museum dedicated to the Sun King—has died of coronavirus
Devedjian was leading plans for a museum project in Saint-Cloud, west of Paris, about the reign of Louis XIV
FeatureObituaries
Peregrine Pollen, who revitalised auction industry and laid the ground for the booming art market of the 21st century, has died, age 89
One of the most dynamic figures in the international expansion of Sotheby's in the 1960s and 1970s, descended from generations of collectors and men of action
NewsObituaries
Maurice Berger, critic and curator, has died of complications from Covid-19, aged 63
The author and historian penned 11 books, curated a stream of shows and authored his Race Stories column in The New York Times beginning in 2012
NewsObituaries
Albert Uderzo, the artist behind French cartoon icon Asterix, dies aged 92
"Asterix really showed me that history could be fun and daft,” says the Irish archaeologist Neil Jackman as tributes are paid to the artist
NewsObituaries
New York gallerist Paul Kasmin, who helped build the Chelsea gallery scene, has died, aged 60
The London-born dealer first visited the US with his father as a child, and went on to develop the careers of many artists
CommentArtists
Remembering the beautiful melancholy of Matthew Wong
The astronomical increase in the value of works by the Canadian artist, who died by suicide last year, is driven by morose opportunism
Kenny Schachter