Art World Mourns 7 Artists, Philanthropists, And Photographers

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The art community recently lost seven notable figures, including Mexican sculptor Geles Cabrera, British street artist Helch, and photographer Jay Maisel.

Geles Cabrera (1926–2026), a Mexican sculptor, was known for her expressive explorations of the human body, bridging figuration and abstraction. She established the Museo Escultórico, an exhibition space in Coyoacán, in 1966. Cabrera received the Bellas Artes Medal in Visual Arts, Mexico's highest artistic honor, in 2024.

The anonymous British street artist known as Helch (c. 1991–2026) famously tagged public infrastructure in London, including a railway viaduct visible from Windsor Castle, which reportedly displeased Queen Elizabeth.

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama (1929–2026) transformed hallucinations and psychological phenomena into immersive, polka-dotted paintings and sculptures. Her work influenced movements like Minimalism, Pop Art, and experiential art, though her legacy has been complicated by racist comments in her 2002 autobiography.

British ceramicist, photographer, and philanthropist Christina Gascoigne (1939–2026) sold ceramics from her Thames-side studio and had her photography featured in several television series. In 2014, she and her husband, Bamber Gascoigne, converted an inherited home into the 700-seat Grange Park Opera in West Horsley, England.

Photographer Jay Maisel (1931–2026) had a seven-decade career spanning magazines, advertising, and cultural institutions. He is widely recognized for designing the cover of Miles Davis's 1959 album, Kind of Blue. Maisel was honored by the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, the American Society of Media Photographers, and the International Center of Photography.

Artist Laura Spector (1954–2026) utilized Asian bittersweet, an invasive species, to create artworks, furniture, and lighting for figures like Joan Baez and Sting. In recent years, she developed Photoshop collages, her“Identity Series,” featuring a recurring red-haired figure she called“Laura dolls.”

Canadian painter and sculptor David Thauberger (1948–2026) significantly shaped perceptions of Saskatchewan's art scene by depicting its modernist and brutalist architecture. He was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2008, received the Lieutenant Governor's Saskatchewan Artist Award in 2009, and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2012.

Ally Van Tillo (d. 2026), founder of the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Archive, was inspired by the American Names Project Memorial Quilt. He coordinated the creation of the UK quilt, which honors over 600 individuals lost to the disease. The quilt is scheduled for a full display at Tramway, Glasgow, this month.

We previously reported:

The art world mourns Belgian performance artist Marijke De Roover, Palestinian painter Sliman Mansour, and Cayman Islands arts advocate Margaret Barwick.

Source: Hyperallergic

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