Hyperallergic's In Memoriam: Art World Figures Lost in 2026
Hyperallergic's weekly In Memoriam column honors ten figures from the art world who died in 2026. Swiss dealer Bruno Bischofberger (1940–2026) brought American Pop artists to Swiss audiences and promoted Neo-Expressionists. Steven Durland (1951–2026), editor of High Performance magazine, championed performance art. British painter Ray Burgoyne (1945–2026) was a self-taught abstract painter and drummer. Christina Dochwat (1934–2026) created hundreds of icons for Ukrainian Catholic churches. German gallerist Jenny Falckenberg (1981–2026) founded Unique Art Concepts in Hamburg. Manuela Hoelterhoff (1949–2026) won a Pulitzer in 1983 for arts criticism at the Wall Street Journal. Ward Nichols (1930–2026) painted Appalachian landscapes. Pamela Popeson (1954–2026) was a MoMA preparator who wrote her own obituary. Ukrainian animator Yevhen Syvokin (1937–2026) worked at Kyivnaukfilm. Malaysian artist Samsudin Wahab (1984–2026) won the Bakat Muda Sezaman prize. Russian artist Vladimir Yarotsky (1985–2026) was imprisoned for caricaturing Putin.
Key facts
- Bruno Bischofberger died in 2026 at age 86.
- Steven Durland edited High Performance magazine for 20 years.
- Manuela Hoelterhoff won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983.
- Pamela Popeson wrote her own obituary before dying of cancer.
- Yevhen Syvokin started an animation directing workshop at Karpenko-Karyi University.
- Samsudin Wahab won the Bakat Muda Sezaman prize in 2019.
- Vladimir Yarotsky was imprisoned in 2024 for caricaturing Putin.
- Christina Dochwat made icons for Ukrainian Catholic churches for over 50 years.
Entities
Artists
- Bruno Bischofberger
- Steven Durland
- Ray Burgoyne
- Christina Dochwat
- Jenny Falckenberg
- Manuela Hoelterhoff
- Ward Nichols
- Pamela A. Popeson
- Yevhen Syvokin
- Samsudin Wahab
- Vladimir Yarotsky
- Andy Warhol
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Claes Oldenburg
- Julian Schnabel
- George Condo
- Nancy Buchanan
- Carolee Schneemann
- Paul McCarthy
- Harald Falckenberg
- Vladimir Putin
Institutions
- Hyperallergic
- High Performance
- Wall Street Journal
- Bloomberg News
- Museum of Modern Art
- Kyivnaukfilm
- Karpenko-Karyi University
- Unique Art Concepts
- Hamburger Kunstverein
- Asheville Museum of Art
- North Carolina Museum of Art
- Birmingham Museum of Art
- Springfield Museum of Art
- Russell Museum
- National Art Gallery in Langkawi
- Chetak 17
- 18th Street Arts Center
- Performance Art Museum
Locations
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- St. Moritz
- Hamburg
- Germany
- New Jersey
- Delaware
- New York
- Connecticut
- Ohio
- West Virginia
- Egypt
- France
- Italy
- Massachusetts
- United Kingdom
- Kyiv
- Ukraine
- Kuala Lumpur
- Malaysia
- Langkawi
- Krasnodar
- Russia
- Santa Monica
- Philadelphia