Hyperallergic's In Memoriam: Art World Figures Lost in 2026
Hyperallergic's latest In Memoriam commemorates ten notable figures in the art community who recently passed away. Among them are Yervant Gianikian, the Armenian-Italian filmmaker celebrated for his innovative films, and Valerie Brathwaite, a Trinidadian sculptor and DJ whose work embodied Caribbean aesthetics. Richard H. Glanton, previously associated with the Barnes Foundation, faced controversies in the 1990s regarding art transactions. Additional significant losses include collector Herbert Lust, curator Beth McKillop, painter Jerry Moriarty, artist Sharon Dede Padi, gallerist Angela Rosengart, and photojournalist Margaret Thomas, all of whom contributed greatly to the art world before their recent departures.
Key facts
- Yervant Gianikian (1942–2026) was an Armenian-Italian filmmaker and artist.
- Gianikian won the Golden Lion for the Armenian pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale.
- Valerie Brathwaite (1938–2026) was a Trinidadian-born abstract sculptor and DJ.
- Richard H. Glanton (1946–2026) was former president of the Barnes Foundation.
- Herbert Lust (1926–2026) was a collector who befriended Alberto Giacometti and Alexander Calder.
- Beth McKillop (1953–2026) established the UK's first permanent Korean gallery at the V&A.
- Jerry Moriarty (1938–2026) created the comic 'Jack Survives' and taught at SVA.
- Sharon Dede Padi (1976–2026) held a Guinness World Record for largest leaf print painting.
- Angela Rosengart (1932–2026) founded the Sammlung Rosengart Museum in Lucerne.
- Margaret Thomas (1941–2026) was the first female photojournalist at the Washington Post.
Entities
Artists
- Yervant Gianikian
- Angela Ricci Lucchi
- Valerie Brathwaite
- Jerry Moriarty
- Sharon Dede Padi
- Alberto Giacometti
- Alexander Calder
- Robert Indiana
- Pablo Picasso
- Art Spiegelman
Institutions
- Museum of Modern Art
- Tate Modern
- Venice Biennale
- Barnes Foundation
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- School of Visual Arts
- Padiki Art Gallery
- Sammlung Rosengart Museum
- Washington Post
- White House News Photographers Association
- Hyperallergic
- The Guardian
- The New York Times
- Esquire
- The New Yorker
- Seventeen
- Raw
Locations
- Philadelphia
- United States
- Washington, DC
- United Kingdom
- Accra
- Ghana
- Lucerne
- Switzerland
- Caracas
- Venezuela
- Trinidad
- New York
- Paris
- Armenia
- Italy