Obituaries
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
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
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 as her mother or a mysterious man she dubbed “Larry”—and subjects
'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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
'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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Barbara Ess, photographer and musician, has died, aged 73
The No Wave pioneer was also know for her lo-fi pinhole images
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
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
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