Abstract Master Ellsworth Kelly Dies at 92

American master of abstract art, Ellsworth Kelly, died Sunday at his home in Spencertown, New York at the age of 92.  His death was announced by Matthew Marks of the Matthew Marks Gallery in New York.

The painter, sculptor and printmaker had studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston after his discharge from the U.S. Army in 1945.  His formative years as an artist were spent in Paris from 1948 to 1955 with support from the GI Bill.

He is credited with a distinctive style of American painting by combining solid shapes and colors of European abstraction with forms from everyday life.

“He was simply one of the great modern painters or our era, certainly of the 20th century,” said Harry Cooper, head curator of Modern Art at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.  Cooper also said Kelly became “something of a brand” similar to Jackson Pollock. “He was totally original, committed to his kind of abstraction and he never wavered,” said Cooper.

Art News  said, “He was among a handful of artists, emerging in the years after World War Two, who defined the art of the past half-century.”

In recent days, art museums and celebrities who love art have paid tribute to Kelly on social media.

Famed U.S. Sports Artist Neiman Dies

American artist LeRoy Neiman, who gained fame with his vibrantly colored paintings and sketches of high-profile sporting events and athletes, died in New York City, Wednesday, nearly two weeks after celebrating his 91st birthday.
Neiman won millions of fans with his impressionistic paintings of numerous Super Bowls and Olympic Games, producing many of his iconic paintings on live television, which also earned him notoriety for his flamboyant image, including his trademark handlebar mustache. He eventually became the official artist of the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Winter Games and the 1984 Summer Games.

Other sporting events Neiman captured on canvas included numerous heavyweight boxing matches and the 1972 world chess championship match between American Bobby Fisher and Russian Boris Spassky. Neiman also created portraits of such figures as boxing legend Muhammed Ali and football star Joe Namath.

He first drew public notice in the 1950s, when he became a contributing artist for the adult men's magazine Playboy. His series for the magazine's “Man at His Leisure” took him to events held in some of the world's most glamorous places, including the Grand Prix auto race in Monaco, the steeplechase horse races in London, and the running of the bulls in Pamploma, Spain.

(Photo by Creative Stuff. David McLane with Neiman and the mural he created for Triple Crown of Polo, 2005.)

Final Exits, 29-31 December 2011



 Eva Zeisel, Hungarian industrial designer, potter and centenarian. Photo taken in 2001 by Daniel Wickemeyer.

Obituaries for 29-31 December 2011

29
* Paul Antaki, 84, Egyptian Melkite Catholic hierarch, Auxiliary Archbishop of Antioch (1968–2001).
* Rosman García, 32, Venezuelan baseball player (Texas Rangers), traffic collision. (Spanish)
* Leopold Hawelka, 100, Austrian coffee house owner (Café Hawelka).
* Aamir Hayat Khan Rokhri, 55, Pakistani politician, heart attack.
* Svein Krøvel, 65, Norwegian cinematographer. (Norwegian)
* Tyron Perez, 26, Filipino actor (StarStruck), shot.
* Amichand Rajbansi, 69, South African politician, Minister without portfolio (1984–1988), Leader of the Minority Front (since 1994).

30
* Ted Beard, 90, American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox).
* John Buchanan, 58, American fine arts museum director (De Young), cancer.
* Mike Colalillo, 86, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient.
* George Daldry, 88, Australian fitness trainer.
* Dezső Garas, 77, Hungarian actor.
* Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, 74, Bangladeshi politician.
* Kim Geun-tae, 64, South Korean politician, Minister of Health and Welfare (2004–2006), pneumonia and kidney failure.
* Ricardo Legorreta, 80, Mexican architect, UIA Gold Medal recipient, cancer. (Spanish)
* Doug Sellars, 50, Canadian television executive (Fox Sports Media Group, CBC Sports), heart attack.
* Vasily Starodubtsev, 80, Russian politician, Governor of Tula Oblast (1997–2005), member of the Gang of Eight (1991).
* Mirko Tremaglia, 85, Italian politician, Minister without portfolio (2001–2006).
* Eva Zeisel, 105, Hungarian-born American ceramic artist and designer.

31
* Murray Barnes, 57, Australian footballer (Sydney Hakoah), national captain (1980–1981).
* Rex Jackson, 83, Australian politician and convicted criminal, New South Wales MLA for Bulli (1955–1971) and Heathcote (1971–1986).
* Glenn Lord, 80, American editor.
* Jerzy Kluger, 92, Polish businessman, bronchitis.
* Milton Wong, 72, Canadian businessman and philanthropist, pancreatic cancer.

"Father of Pop Art" Hamilton Dies at 89

The man known as the “Father of Pop Art” has died in Britain. He was 89 years old.

British artist Richard Hamilton died Tuesday. The Gagosian Gallery, which represented Hamilton, confirmed his passing but did not disclose the location or cause of his death.

Hamilton was best known for his pop art collages, and was considered to be Britain's answer to American artist Andy Warhol. He first made his mark in the 1950s with a collage entitled “Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing?”

Hamilton also was well known for a variety of art projects, including the album design of the Beatles White Album in 1968, and depictions of celebrities and politicians.

India's "Picasso" Dies at 95

Thursday, 9 June 2011

India's most eminent artist, Maqbool Fida Husain, sometimes called “the Indian Picasso,” died Thursday in London at the age of 95.

Indian President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and artists and ordinary Indians paid tribute to Husain after news of his death spread across the country.

Husain began his career in India as a Bollywood poster artist and later developed a style combining Indian traditions with a Western-influenced Cubist style. He was also known for avoiding shoes, preferring to go barefoot.

But in 2006, the Muslim artist went into self-imposed exile in Dubai after being targeted by Hindu hardliners angered by his depiction of Hindu deities in the nude and India as a nude woman. Angry Hindu radical groups called the paintings an insult to their religion and offered a reward for his death.

Husain's decision to leave his homeland raised a debate about artistic freedom and tolerance in India. He refused to comment on the controversy, saying he remained deeply rooted to India and was living abroad only to do his work.

Among those who spoke up in Husain's defense was the Supreme Court, which said nudity is common in Indian art and should not be regarded as an obscenity.

Photo: M.F. Hussain, 2010. (Photographer: Ayaz360)