In Memoriam 2025
By Laura Heyrman
As we approach the end of January 2026, I’m looking back at some of the talented creators who passed away last year. So many people use their skills and creativity to make the world a better, more beautiful place; it seems only right to celebrate at least some of them here.
Two important losses of last year (David Lynch and Sebastião Salgado) were honored with memorial essays on the I Require Art Substack. Their names below are followed by links to those memorial posts.
This is not 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.
Oliviero Toscani: Italian, b. 1942, d. January 13, 2025, age 82
The photographer was art director for the Benetton Group and oversaw their controversial advertisements referring to the AIDS crisis, racism, war, and religion. LINK:ericjlyman.com/adageglobal.html
Turtel Onli (né Alvin Phillips): American, b. 1952, d. January 15, 2025, age 72
Onli, who worked in the Chicago Public Schools for over 20 years, is best known for creating and advocating for Black comics, using an Afrofuturist style he termed Rhythmism. LINK: lambiek.net/artists/o/onli_turtel.htm
David Lynch: American, b. 1946, d. January 16, 2025 , age 78
See the Substack memorial post for the filmmaker, actor, painter and musician here: irequireart.substack.com/p/in-memoriam-david-lynch
Jules Feiffer: American, b. 1929, d. January 17, 2025, age 95
At one time, the cartoonist, artist ,and author was said to be the most widely read satirist in the US. He won the 1986 Pulitzer prize for editorial cartooning. LINK: rmichelson.com/illustration/jules-feiffer
Ginny Ruffner: American, b. 1952, d. January 20, 2025, age 72 (see slide show)
A master glass artist, Ruffner also created pop-up books, large-scale public arty and augmented reality projects. LINK: ginnyruffner.com
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Native American (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), b. 1940, b. January 24, 2025, age 85 (see slide show)
One of the most influential contemporary Native American artists, Smith adapted aspects of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art to examine contemporary American life and interpret it through Native ideology. LINK: theartstory.org/artist/smith-jaune-quick-to-see
Alonzo Davis: American, b. 1942, d. January 27: 2025, age 82
In 1967, Davis and his brother opened the Brockman Gallery, the first major Black-owned contemporary art gallery in the US, which supported many important African American artists until it closed in 1990. In his own work, Davis used many materials and formats. LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/alonzo-davis-dead-artist-brockman-gallery-1234731245
Hugh Holland: American, b. 1942, d. February 1, 2025, age 82 (see slide show)
With no formal training in photography, Holland was inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson’s street photography. He is best known for capturing the skateboard culture of Southern California from the 1970s on. LINK: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HughHolland(photographer)
Séa Diallo, Senegalese, b.1958, d. February 2, 2025, age 66 (see slide show)
A member of the second generation of the Dakar School, Diallo worked in a wide variety of media, recording abstracted views of African life. LINK: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Diallo
Walter Robinson: American, b. 1950, d. February 9, 2025, age 74
As a writer, Robinson chronicled the New York art scene. About his brightly colored and often irreverent paintings, he once said “For me, it’s always a challenge to make a painting look good.” LINK: theartnewspaper.com/2025/02/10/walter-robinson-painter-critic-obituary
Mel Bochner: American, b. 1940, d. February 12, 2025 age 84
A leading figure of the Conceptual Art movement, Bochner was especially interested in the interaction of art and language., often including the sentence “Language is not transparent.” in his works. LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/mel-bochner-conceptual-artist-dead-1234732504
Martha Gorman Schultz: Diné-American, b. 1931, d. February 21, 2025, age 93
A distinguished craftswoman who often supported her family with her weaving, Gorman Schultz influenced many others including her daughter and grand-daughter who are celebrated artists. LINK: hyperallergic.com/martha-gorman-schultz-influential-dine-weaver-dies-at-93
Fred Eversley: American, b. 1941, d. March 14, 2025, age 83
The artist was associated with the Light and Space Movement and created sleek abstract sculptures from industrial materials, often exploring effects of parabola shapes. LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/fred-eversley-light-and-space-sculptor-dead-1234735709
Peter Sedgley: British, b. 1930, d. March 17, 2025, age 94
A painter with a deep interest in color theory, Sedgley’s work was included in “The Responsive Eye” from which the term Op Art developed. LINK: redfern-gallery.com/artists/66-peter-sedgley
Nona Faustine: American, b. 1977, d. March 20, 2025, age 48
As a photographer, Faustine, was determined to expose images of Black women that had not been seen before. She said, “I wanted to show our lives and who we are. We are very special. Not just because of our suffering but because of our beauty and strength.” LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/nona-faustine-photographer-dead-white-shoes-1234736316
Bruce McGaw: American, b. 1935, d. March 22, 2025, age 89
McGaw was a valued teacher of student artists for 60 years and one of the core painters of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. LINK: sfgate.com/local/article/celebrated-bay-area-artist-college-instructor-dies-20253363.php
Eunice Golden: American, b. 1927, d. April 3, 2025, age 98
Golden began as a painter seeking to demystify the male nude, eventually expanding her practice to include performance, body-art, photography, and film. She was an active figure in challenging sexism and censorship in the art world. LINK: eunicegolden.com/eunicegolden.com/Home.html
Connie Zehr: American, b. 1938, d. April 4, 2025, age 87 (see slide show)
Associated with the Light and Space Movement, Zehr’s work consisted of installations using sand, glass, and sculpture. LINK: conniezehr.com
Cheng-Khee Chee: Chinese-American, b. 1934, d. April 6, 2025, age 92
A skilled watercolorist who combined Western ideas about abstraction with Chinese brush tradition, Chee was the illustrator of the beloved children’s book Old Turtle (1992), written by Douglas Wood. LINK: chengkheechee.com
Robyn Kahukiwa: Australian-Māori, b. 1938, d. April 11, 2025, age 86 (see slide show)
Inspired by her Māori heritage, Kahukiwa used her art to express the impact of colonialism on culture, often stressing the power and prestige of Māori women. LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/robyn-kahukiwa-maori-painter-dead-1234738861
Joseph Csatari: American, b. 1929, d. April 14, 2025, age 96
Inspired by Norman Rockwell to become a painter, Csatari was the official artist of the Boy Scouts of America. LINK: blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2025/04/19/joseph-csatari-the-mind-behind-so-many-iconic-scouting-pieces-of-art-dies-at-96
Jack Katz: American, b. 1927, d. April 24, 2025, age 97
Katz was a comic book artist and painter who pioneered the graphic novel with the publication of The First Kingdom, in 24 volumes, beginning in 1974. LINK: jackkatzart.weebly.com
Dara Birnbaum: American, b. 1946, d. May 2, 2025, age 78
A pioneer of video art, her most famous work is Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman (1978–79), which consists of from the Wonder Woman TV show, with Lynda Carter transforming into the superhero accompanied by a sound track devised by Birnbaum. LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/dara-birnbaum-video-artist-dead-wonder-woman-1234740430
Fred Graham: Māori New Zealander, b. 1928, d. May 9, 2025, age 96
A teacher and sculptor, Graham was part of the first generation to explore combining modern art ideas with Māori traditions. LINK: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FredGraham(sculptor)
Esmat Dawestashy: Egyptian, b. 1943, d. May 13, 2025, age 82
Painter, sculptor, art critic and writer, Dawestashy’s career was marked by changing styles as he drew inspiration from wide-ranging sources, including Dada, Sufi mysticism, and Pablo Picasso. LINK: english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/5/546270/Arts--Culture/Visual-artist-Esmat-Dawestashy-dies-at-age-.aspx
Gordon Baldwin: English, b. 1932, d. May 18, 2025, age 92 (see slide show)
Baldwin was a ceramic sculptor and teacher whose works explored the possibilities of combining painting and drawing with ceramic forms. LINK: theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/jun/09/gordon-baldwin-obituary
Sebastião Salgado: Brazilian, b. 1944, d. May 23, 2025, age 81
See the Substack memorial post for the photographer here: irequireart.substack.com/p/in-memoriam-sebastiao-salgado
Günther Uecker: German, b. 1930, d. June 10, 2025, age 95 (see slide show)
A member of ZERO, an avant-garde artist group that originated in Germany, Uecker’s best known works are abstract patterns of nails hammered into a support. LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/gunther-uecker-zero-artist-dead-1234744874
Arnaldo Pomodoro: Italian, b. 1926, d. June 22: 2025, age 98
Known for his large spherical bronze sculptures located in important public spaces (the Vatican, the UN, Trinity College Dublin, etc.), Pomodoro died the day before his 99th birthday. LINK: cnn.com/2025/06/24/style/arnaldo-pomodoro-artist-death
Brian Clarke: British, b. 1953, d. July 1, 2025, age 71 (see slide show)
The first stained glass artist to be knighted in Britain, Clarke set out to make stained glass relevant to contemporary architecture. LINK: thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/sir-brian-clarke-obituary-leading-stained-glass-artist-j575t2b3w
Lumin Wakoa: American, b. 1981, d. July 6, 2025, age 43
The painter succumbed to brain cancer just as her art began to gain more attention. Preferring to work without sketches, she said “I find it more exciting to respond to shapes and marks that are placed on the canvas, editing them over time, than to plan every move ahead of time.” LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/lumin-wakoa-painter-dead-1234747006
David Chichkan: Ukrainian, b. 1986, d. August 10, 2025, age 39
A political artist who was active in anarchist circles, Chichkan died as a result of injuries suffered in battle against Russian forces invading Ukraine. LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/david-chichkan-ukraine-artist-dead-battle-russia-1234749326
Walter Swennen: Belgian, b. 1946, d. August 14, 2025, age 79 (see slide show)
Trained as a printmaker, Swennen was a poet, participated in artistic happenings, and became a professor of psychoanalysis before turning to painting. LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/walter-swennen-dead-1234749496
Rosalyn Drexler: American, b. 1926, d. September 3, 2025, age 98
A visual artist and award winning playwright and screenwriter, Drexler began as an assemblage sculptor, but shifted to Pop Art paintings that explored gender and power. LINK: hyperallergic.com/1039466/rosalyn-drexler-pop-artist-and-polymath-dies-at-98
Robert Grosvenor: British, b. 1937, September 3, 2025, age 88 (see slide show)
Though he created photographs, drawings and collages, Grosvenor is best known for his sculptures, some of which were part of the “Primary Structures” exhibition which introduced Minimalism to the world. LINK: hyperallergic.com/1039765/robert-grosvenor-dies-at-88
Jimmy Grashow: American, b. 1942, d. September 15, 2025, age 83
As a sculptor, Grashow is known for his larges scale sculptural installations made from cardboard; as a printmaker, his album covers for Jethro Tull (Stand Up, 1969) and The Yardbirds (Live, 1971) are his most familiar works. LINK: jamesgrashow.com
Mohamed Hamidi: Moroccan, b. 1941, d. October 6, 2025, age 84 (see slide show)
Hamidi, a pioneer of modernism in Morocco as a member of the Casablanca School, incorporated traditional motifs into his brightly colored, abstract paintings. LINK: en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/178110/moroccan-painter-casablanca-school-pioneer.html
Frank Wimberley: American, b. 1926, d. October 9, 2025, age 99 (see slide show)
Trained at Howard University, Wimberly was an Abstract Expressionist who manipulated his acrylic paint with a wide variety of tools including brushes, spatulas, and scrapers, the latter apparent in the example included below. LINK: hyperallergic.com/frank-wimberly-artist-of-controlled-accidents-dies-at-99
Michael Smuss: Polish-Israeli, b. 1926, d. October 21, 2025, age 99
Smuss was the last surviving Resistance fighter of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; after surviving the Holocaust, he took up painting in order to deal with PTSD symptoms. Painting helped him “regain control of his life.” LINK: apnews.com/article/michael-smuss-warsaw-ghetto-obit-ed21266330a8d526121c26881d935840
Alison Knowles: American, b. 1933, d. October 29, 2025 , age 92
One of the founding artists of the Fluxus movement, Knowles attempted to break down barriers between everyday life and art. She said “I don’t want people looking passively at my work but actively participating by touching, eating, following an instruction about listening, physically making or taking something, or joining in an activity.” LINK: hyperallergic.com/alison-knowles-the-first-woman-of-fluxus-dies-at-92
Yoshio “Yosh” Nakamura: American, b. 1925, d. November 22, 2025, age 100
Nakamura was incarcerated with other Americans of Japanese descent during World War II, yet joined the American Army, earning a bronze star and the Congressional gold medal. After the war, he became an artist and art teacher. LINK: lamag.com/news/world-war-ii-hero-artist-and-activist-yoshio-nakamura-dies-at-100
Theodor Pištěk: Czech, b. 1932, d. December 3, 2025, age 93
Pištěk was a painter and sculptor active in Czechoslovakia, whose work began with abstraction but became increasingly surreal in the communist era. He continued painting after the fall of communism, but he also worked as a costume and set designer throughout his career. He won the Oscar for set design for the film Amadeus (1984). LINK: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheodorPi%C5%A1t%C4%9Bk(artist)
Frank O. Gehry: American, b. 1929, d. December 5, 2025, age 96
One of the best known contemporary architects, Gehry is known for buildings comprised of curving forms clad in reflective metals, including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago. LINK: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gehry
Napoleon Jones-Henderson: American, b. 1943, d. December 6, 2025, age 82
The artist was a weaver and multimedia artist who played an important role in AfriCOBRA, an artist collective based in Chicago which Jones-Henderson stressed created positive images to heal the minds and souls of Black people. LINK: artnews.com/art-news/news/napoleon-jones-henderson-africobra-artist-dead-1234765902
Janet Fish: American, b. 1938, d. December 11, 2025, age 87 (see slide show)
Fish was a realist artist who focused almost exclusively on still life. Her works displayed the interaction of light and color, often in compositions of overlapping transparent and translucent objects. LINK: janetfish.net
Anne Madden: English-Irish, b. 1932, d. December 21, 2025, age 93 (see slide show)
Having begun to exhibit her work at the age of 18, Madden had a long and distinguished career, achieving fame in France )where she lived for many years) and Ireland. The artist used abstraction to address the theme of life and death and to explore the landscapes around her. LINK: imma.ie/artists/anne-madden
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