2021: A Year of Loss in the Art World
The year 2021 saw the passing of numerous influential figures across art, design, architecture, and culture. Among them were Arturo di Modica, sculptor of Wall Street's Charging Bull; architect Richard Rogers, co-designer of the Centre Pompidou; and conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner. The list includes poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, co-founder of City Lights Bookstore; painter Kim Tschang-Yeul, known for hyperrealistic droplets; and designer Virgil Abloh, artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear. Other notable losses: architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, a master of Brazilian brutalism; photographer Hiro; gallerist Arturo Schwarz; artist Christian Boltanski; and filmmaker Lina Wertmüller. The art world also mourned critics Lara-Vinca Masini and Pier Luigi Tazzi, architect Umberto Riva, and designer Ernesto Gismondi of Artemide. Performers Carla Fracci and Ismael Ivo, composer Sylvano Bussotti, and cartoonist Kurt Westergaard also died. The year claimed artists Chuck Close, Jimmie Durham, and Julião Sarmento, as well as architect Cesare Leonardi and designer Francesco Trabucco. This extensive obituary highlights the breadth of talent lost in 2021.
Key facts
- Arturo di Modica, sculptor of Charging Bull, died in 2021.
- Richard Rogers, co-architect of Centre Pompidou, died in 2021.
- Lawrence Weiner, conceptual artist, died in 2021.
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet and City Lights co-founder, died in 2021.
- Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton artistic director, died in 2021.
- Christian Boltanski, artist known for existential themes, died in 2021.
- Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Brazilian architect, died in 2021.
- Carla Fracci, prima ballerina assoluta, died in 2021.
Entities
Artists
- Arturo di Modica
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti
- Kim Tschang-Yeul
- Ernesto Gismondi
- Carlo Comello
- Lorenzo Taiuti
- Bruno Conte
- Don Leicht
- Lara-Vinca Masini
- Cesare Leonardi
- Giuseppe Rotunno
- Marco Romanelli
- Miles Cooper Seaton
- Horiki Katsutomi
- Marcello Pecchioli
- Jacopo Gardella
- Giovanni Gastel
- Francesco Trabucco
- Turi Simeti
- Armando De Stefano
- Yasuo Otsuka
- Jean Dupuy
- Ismael Ivo
- Gene Youngblood
- Luciano Ventrone
- Alber Elbaz
- Adele Cappelli
- Eli Broad
- Carla Fracci
- Franco Battiato
- Giuliano Scabia
- Paulo Mendes da Rocha
- Julião Sarmento
- Daniel Karavan
- Carlo Orsi
- Tuono Pettinato
- Umberto Riva
- Arturo Schwarz
- Christian Boltanski
- Kurt Westergaard
- Silvano Gherlone
- Kaari Upson
- Kampah
- Alan Jones
- Chuck Close
- Hiro
- Antonio Pennacchi
- Achille Pace
- Marisa Albanese
- Jean-Paul Belmondo
- Teodosio Magnoni
- Mimma Pisani
- Fulvio Salvadori
- Achille Perilli
- Alberto Miralli
- Giovanni Rubino
- Vanni Pasca
- Pier Luigi Tazzi
- Dino Pedriali
- Jimmie Durham
- Carlo Maria Mariani
- Francesco Melone
- Sylvano Bussotti
- Tullia Ontani
- Virgil Abloh
- Lina Wertmüller
- Lawrence Weiner
- Peter Weiermair
- Richard Rogers
- Jenni Crain
- Wayne Thiebaud
- Betty White
Institutions
- City Lights Bookstore
- Artemide
- Artribune
- Lanvin
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Louis Vuitton
- GAM di Bologna
- Centre Pompidou
- Kaufmann Repetto New York
- Whitney Biennial
- Biennale di Venezia
- British Museum
- Martini & Ronchetti
- GAM Torino
- Ortigia Sound System Festival
- New York Times
- Leone d'Oro
- Davico
- Akron/Family
Locations
- New York
- Wall Street
- San Francisco
- Milano
- Modena
- Alcamo
- Tokyo
- Buenos Aires
- San Telmo
- Los Angeles
- Portogallo
- Israele
- Danimarca
- Viterbo
- Sutri
- Bologna
- Venezia
- Londra
- Torino
- Brasile
- Francia
- Marseille
- Giappone
- Italia