In Memoriam 2024
By Laura Heyrman
As the first month of 2025 comes to a close, I’m taking an opportunity to look back at some of the talented creators who passed away last year. Three important losses of last year (Richard Serra, Faith Ringgold, and Audrey Flack) were honored with long form essays on the I Require Art Substack. Their names below are followed by links to those memorial posts.
This is in no way a complete list; rather it is a collection of some of the interesting and creative people who left us last year. Some were well-known in life, others worked beyond the spotlight. They are listed in chronological order by the date of death; a link to more information is provided for each.
Peter Magubane: South African, b. 1932, d. January 1, 2024, age 91
Photographer, anti-apartheid activist, and personal photographer of Nelson Mandela, Magubane used his art to cast a light on race relations in South Africa and to celebrate the end of apartheid. Link: archive.nytimes.com/lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/a-fighter-with-a-camera-in-apartheid-era-south-africa
Alexis Smith: American, b. 1949, d. January 2, 2024, age 74
Using found images, Smith created installations, collages, and paintings explored the nature of life and fame in Hollywood. Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/alexis-smith-dead-1234692005
Carl Andre: American, b. 1935, d. January 24, 2024, age 88 (see slide show)
One of the pioneers of Minimalism in the 1960s, Andre created works using unaltered, usually industrial materials. "My works are not the embodiments of ideas or conceptions. My works are, in the words of William Blake, “The lineaments of Gratified Desire.”” Link: theartstory.org/artist/andre-carl
Lisa Hunt: American, b. 1968, d. January 20, 2024, age 55
Inspired by the Pattern and Decoration Movement, traditional African fabrics, and the African-American quilting tradition, Hunt created boldly patterned prints and collages using a limited palette centered on gold leaf, which symbolized abundance and illumination to the artist. Link: hyperallergic.com/869089/lisa-hunt-who-transformed-gold-leaf-in-her-art-dies-at-55
Fathi Ghaben: Palestinian, b. 1947, d. February 25, 2024, age 77 (See slide show)
Largely self-taught, Ghaben is known for his colorful images of the resilient Palestinian spirit. The artist was the founder of the Fathi Ghaben Center of Arts which supported young artists in Gaza. Link: theartnewspaper.com/2024/03/01/renowned-palestinian-artist-fathi-ghaben-dies-aged-77-gaza
Egai Talusan Fernandez: Filipino, b. 1955, d. February 27, 2024, age 68
Fenandez utilized a socialist-realist style to confront the ills plaguing his country, especially under dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was influential in activist circles and in founding the Kaisahan group which shared his goal of using art to encourage social change. Link: ourbrew.ph/egai-talusan-fernandez-resistance-in-quiet-dignity
Lucas Samaras: Greek-American, b. 1936, d. March 7, 2024, age 87
Samaras worked in a variety of mediums, from installation art to photography; his earliest acclaim in the 1960s, was for “Boxes,” sculptures studded with sharp objects, sometimes with photographs set into the objects’ surfaces. Link: paceprints.com/news/eulogy-lucas-samaras-1936-2024
Richard Serra: American, b. 1938, d. March 26, 2024, age 85
See In Memoriam: Richard Serra on the I Require Art Substack Link: irequireart.substack.com/p/in-memoriam-richard-serra
Marian Zazeela: American, b. 1940, d. March 28, 2024, age 83 (see slide show)
Zazeela often worked with her husband La Monte Young, most notably on Dream House. She described her solo works as “borderline art” because of the way that they disturb the “conventional distinction between decorative and fine art by using decorative elements in the fine art tradition.” Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/marian-zazeela-artist-dead-1234701465
Dinh Q Lê: Vietnamese-American, b. 1968, d. April 6, 2024, age 56 (see slide show)
Lê used his art to address issues that arose from his Vietnamese heritage, especially American military actions during the war there. He made photographs and films, and as the example below shows complex woven images built from his photographs. Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/dinh-q-le-artist-dead-1234702010
Faith Ringgold: American, b. 1930, d. April 13, 2024, age 93
See In Memoriam: Faith Ringgold on the I Require Art Substack Link: irequireart.substack.com/p/in-memoriam-faith-ringgold
Katherine Porter: American, b. 1941, d. April 22, 2024 age 82
Porter’s work is best described as expressionist but she was not a member of any established group or artistic movement. “I try to put everything into a picture. What you see is what you come up against in the world.” Link: artforum.com/news/katherine-porter-dies-19412024-554300
Frank Stella: American, b. 1936, d. May 4, 2024, age 87 (see slide show)
Stella began as a minimalist painter who spent his career reimagining what painting could be. “There are two problems in painting. One is to find out what painting is and the other is to find out how to make a painting.” Link: theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/may/05/frank-stella-obituary
Terrol Dew Johnson: Tohono O’odham-American, b. 1973, d. May 8, 2024, age 50-51 (see slide show)
A sculptor, and advocate for Indigenous food sovereignty, Johnson is best known for his work in basket-making, where he used traditional materials in experimental forms. Link: azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2024/05/15/acclaimed-cultural-treasure-terrol-dew-johnson-dies/73633665007
Joe Zucker: American, b. 1941, d. May 15, 2024, age 82
Zucker, a painter, rejected the ideology of Abstract Expressionism, and varied his approach throughout his career. Link: hyperallergic.com/917109/remembering-the-rebellious-spirit-of-joe-zucker
Destiny Deacon: Australian (Kuku, Erub/Mer), b. 1957, d. May 23, 2024, age 67 (see slide show)
Deacon, an Australian Indigenous artist in photography, video, installation, and performance works. She is most famous for her pictures of black-skinned dolls, which she hoped would force white Australians to recognize the history of dehumanization embodied by the dolls. Link: artreview.com/the-legacy-of-destiny-deacon-1957-2024-obituary-daniel-browning
Claudia Williams: British, b. 1933, d. June 17, 2024, age 90 (see slide show)
Though born in England, Williams spent most of her career in Wales and was married to prominent Welsh artist Gwilym Prichard. She is known for her colorful portraits and scenes of daily life and leisure. Link: thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/claudia-williams-zt5phxljx
Nancy Azara: American, b. 1939, d. June 27, 2024, age 84 (see slide show)
Azara is known for her sculptures and collages. She most often used wood because of the inherent symbolism and strength of trees. Azara was active in the Feminist Art movement, and often created art for use in feminist and spiritual rituals. Link: nancyazara.com
Audrey Flack: American, b. 1931, d. June 28, 2024, age 83
See In Memoriam: Audrey Flack on the I Require Art Substack Link: irequireart.substack.com/p/in-memoriam-audrey-flack
Jacqueline de Jong: Dutch, b. 1939, d. June 29, 2024, age 85
De Jong was associated with the Situationist movement before she began her career as a visual artist. Throughout her life, she was an activist for feminism, artistic freedom, and human rights. Link: hyperallergic.com/930827/dutch-avante-garde-painter-jacqueline-de-jong-dies-at-85
June Leaf: American, b. 1929, d. July 1, 2024, age 94
Leaf described herself as “a painter who had to have a tactile experience with the world,” but she also created kinetic sculptures that jump into motion upon being triggered. A traveling retrospective will visit Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts in Spring of 2025, Grey Art Museum, New York during Fall 2025 and the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, Ohio, in the Spring of 2026. Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/june-leaf-artist-dead-1234711294
Alex Janvier: Cold Lake First Nations-Canadian, b. 1935, d. July 10, 2024, age 89
Janvier has been described as “the first Canadian native modernist;” he combined Indigenous imagery with contemporary styles. Link: hyperallergic.com/934599/alex-janvier-indigenous-painter-of-evocative-abstractions-dies-at-89
Bill Viola: American, b. 1951, d. July 12, 2024, age 73
Viola was a pioneering video artist, starting with lo-fi videotapes before graduating to large scale installations and multichannel works, all encouraging viewers to contemplate universal questions of human experience. Link: npr.org/2024/07/13/nx-s1-5038670/video-artist-bill-viola-dead
Farhad Moshiri: Iranian, b. 1963, d. July 17, 2024, age 61
Moshiri combined Persian traditions and a Pop art sensibility. Many of his works incorporated traditional embroidery and beading, for which the artist collaborated with craftswomen. Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/farhad-moshiri-dead-1234712469
Keiichi Tanaami: Japanese, b. 1936, d. August 9, 2024 age 88 (see slide show)
Currently the subject of an exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (through March 30), Tanaami has been a major figure in Japanese and global Pop art, creating works which consider American and Japanese culture in the post-war period. Exhibition link: icamiami.org/exhibition/keiichi-tanaami-memory-collage Obituary link: artnews.com/art-news/news/keiichi-tanaami-japanese-artist-dead-1234714915
Richard Pettibone: American, b. 1938, d. August 19, 2024, age 86
Pettibone is best known for his miniature copies of other artists’ works, through which he carried the idea of appropriation to an extreme conclusion. Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/richard-pettibone-artist-dead-1234717616
Jackie Winsor: Canadian-American, b. 1941, d. September 2, 2024, age 82 (see slide show)
Winsor worked in contrast to the highly finished, industrial materials of Minimalist sculptors of the time, producing works which push her rough materials and the process of creation to the forefront of the viewers’ experience. Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/jackie-winsor-sculptor-dead-1234716498
Safeya Binzagr: Saudi Arabian, b. 1940, d. September 12, 2024, age 84
Binzagr was one of the most important artists in Saudi Arabia before her death In addition to creating paintings and fabric pieces, she also sponsored a cultural center in Jeddah, which had no institution like it at the time. Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/safeya-binzagr-artist-dead-1234717569
Richard Mayhew: American, b. 1924, d. September 26, 2024, age 100 (see slide show)
Mayhew created vividly colored abstractions; he said he used “landscape as a metaphor to express emotion.” His expressive color in often amorphous shapes are found by many viewers to encourage contemplation and relaxation. Link: artnews.com/art-news/market/richard-mayhew-dead-1234718884
Kerri Dick: Haida/Kwakwaka’wakw-Canadian, b. 1983, d. October 9, 2024, age 41
Dick was a master Chilkat weaver, who shared her knowledge of traditional weaving, beading, and carving with others. Link: hyperallergic.com/957329/kerri-dick-chilkat-weaver-of-wonders-dies-at-41
Lillian Schwartz: American, b. 1927, d. October 12, 2024, age 97
Schwartz was pioneer in creating computer-mediated art; films she created in the 1970s influenced generations of filmmakers and artists after her. She was the first female artist in residence at Bell Labs. Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/lillian-schwartz-computer-art-dead-1234721078
Virginia Stroud: Cherokee-American, b. 1951, d. November 9, 2024, age 73 (see slide show)
Stroud was a painter and printmaker, often recording scenes of Native life in her works. In addition to awards for her art, Stroud was named Miss Cherokee Tribal princess in 1969 and was the first to wear the “Tear Dress,” a calico dress now considered the traditional garb of Oklahoma Cherokee women. Link: cherokeephoenix.org/people/respected-cherokee-artist-virginia-stroud-dies-at-age-73/article_2c1efca0-a5f4-11ef-bd2c-878481e37af0.html
Paul Caponigro: American, b. 1932, d. November 10, 2024, age 91 (see slide show)
Caponigro was a photographer, writer, and pianist, known for using printing and darkroom effects to create a sense of mystery in his works. Link: pressherald.com/2024/11/24/photographer-paul-caponigro-known-for-the-spirituality-of-his-work-died-this-month-in-cushing
Frank Auerbach: German-British, b. 1931, d. November 11, 2024, age 93
Auerbach, along with Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, is considered on of the leading British artists of the 20th century. His portraits were made with so thick that his works appeared sculptural and abstract. Link: theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/nov/12/frank-auerbach-obituary
Eunice Parsons: American, b. 1916, d. November 18, 2024, age 108
Parsons was a modernist artist who focused on creating collages. In addition to her artist practice, she co-owned an art gallery, and taught for over 20 years. Link: hyperallergic.com/967915/eunice-parsons-who-elevated-collage-to-new-heights-dies-at-108
Malcolm Le Grice: British, b. 1940, d. December 3, 2024, age 84 (see slide show)
Le Grice is known primarily for his experimental films, but he also created paintings and still photographs. The British Film institute declared that he was probably the most influential modernist filmmaker in British cinema". Link: theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/09/malcolm-le-grice-obituary
Lorraine O’Grady: American, b. 1934, d. December 13, 2024, age 90
O’Grady was a conceptual artist and writer who made work about the intersections between art and life, Blackness and femininity, and the past and the present. "I think art's first goal is to remind us that we are human, whatever that is. I suppose the politics in my art could be to remind us that we are all human." Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/lorraine-ogrady-artist-dead-1234727149
Yoshio Taniguchi: Japanese, b. 1937, d. December 16, age 87
Taniguchi, whose father was also an architect, is known for his fusion of Japanese and Western Modernist aesthetics in his buildings, including the 2004 redesign of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Link: artforum.com/news/yoshio-taniguchi-dies-19372024-1234724849
Zilia Sánchez Domínguez: Cuban, b. 1926, d. December 19, 2024, age 98
Sánchez Domínguez moved to the United States from Cuba in 1960 and is known for shaped paintings that often resemble the female body. Link: artnews.com/art-news/news/zilia-sanchez-painter-dead-1234728292
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