Each Wednesday afternoon, we publish In Memoriam to pay tribute to influential figures from the art world who have recently passed away.
Glen Baxter (1944–2026) was a British cartoonist and artist whose surrealist illustrations, rooted in adventure comics and pulp fiction, graced the pages of The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. His works were frequently displayed at Flowers Gallery and reside in the collections of both the Tate Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Melvin Edwards (1937–2026), a sculptor known for his minimalist creations, transformed industrial materials into abstract sculptures that addressed themes of modern art, race, and civil rights. His most acclaimed series, Lynch Fragments (1936–2026), used chains and barbed wire to confront America’s history of racial violence. His sculptures are part of collections at the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Pat Steir (1938–2026) was a pioneering feminist artist whose paintings connected with conceptual art and Minimalism through dynamic techniques of flinging and pouring paint. Her involvement in the women’s movement included roles as a founding board member of Heresies Collective and Printed Matter, Inc, as well as serving on the editorial board of Semiotext(e).
Ali Sbeity (d. 2026) was a Lebanese portrait painter who contributed murals to Beirut’s schools and crafted artworks in wood and ceramics. Tragically, he was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Kafra, as reported by local media and the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC).
Josefina Aguilar (1945–2026) was a prominent Mexican folk artist recognized for her red clay and acrylic paint depictions of daily life. Her work gained attention due to Nelson Rockefeller’s visit in the late 1970s. Her creations have been showcased at the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Mexican Museum in San Francisco.
Neil Cossons (1939–2026) was a British historian and museum director with expertise in industrial heritage. He led various institutions and served as chair of the English Heritage Trust from 2000 to 2007, among other notable roles.
Charles Debenham (1933–2026) was a British painter and designer who in the 1960s designed postage stamps for the British government. He was also an educator, teaching at the Greyfriars Adult Education Centre in Colchester, England.
Andreas Karayian (1943–2026), a Cypriot painter and writer, was a pivotal figure in contemporary Cypriot art, known for his introspective and literature-influenced visual language. He took part in the 2001 Venice Biennale.
Lloyd Le Blanc (1940–2026), an American-British sculptor, was celebrated for his large bronze sculptures of flora and fauna, many commissioned for the venues of celebrity chef Raymond Blanc. He and his wife converted farm buildings in Saxby, Leicestershire, into studios.
