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In Memoriam is published every Wednesday afternoon and honors those we recently lost in the art world.
Alison Knowles (1933–2025)
The first woman of Fluxus
Alison Knowles at home in New York in 2014 (photo by and courtesy Jason Bergman for Lucky Peach)
Get the latest art news, reviews and opinions from Hyperallergic.
She worked not only between disciplines but between media, seemingly exploding the boundaries of every form she inhabited. Across a six-decade career, she was a pioneering force in process- and computer-based art, relational aesthetics, and more, incorporating both chance and sound while drawing upon the political resonances of everyday objects. “People don’t touch art,” she said in a 2010 oral history with the Archives of American Art. “That’s one of the problems.”
Read our full obituary here.
Jackie Ferrara (1929–2025)
Sculptor who contained chaos in geometric forms
Jackie Ferrara in New York on February 13, 2025 (photo by Jason Schmidt, courtesy the Jackie Ferrara Foundation)
A fixture of New York’s downtown art scene, she discovered her visual language of graceful wooden structures and architectural environments while renovating her Soho loft. She saw her art as puzzles to be solved, and her public sculptures dot midwestern towns. “Ferrara might have sought to contain the chaos of her life in precise, geometric forms,” Zoë Lescaze writes, “but their subtle unpredictability reflects her own.”
Read our full obituary here.
John Adams Griefen (1942–2025)
Abstract painter and Color Field pioneer
John Adams Griefen in his studio in Tribeca, New York (c. 1979) (photo by John King, courtesy the Estate of John Adams Griefen)
He made important contributions to abstract art in the United States and Europe with his monumental acrylic-on-canvas paintings. His works are held by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC; the Boston Museum of Fine Art, and more.
Mitchell D. Kahan (1951–2025)
Former director of the Akron Art Museum
Mitchell D. Kahan in a gallery at the Akron Art Museum (photo courtesy Akron Art Museum)
He was among the longest-serving art museum leaders in the United States as CEO and director of the Akron Art Museum between 1985 and 2013. “He combined deep knowledge of the Museum’s history with genuine care for its future,” Jon Fiume, current director and CEO of the Akron Art Museum, told Hyperallergic.
Please consider supporting Hyperallergic’s journalism during a time when independent, critical reporting is increasingly scarce.
We are not beholden to large corporations or billionaires. Our journalism is funded by readers like you, ensuring integrity and independence in our coverage. We strive to offer trustworthy perspectives on everything from art history to contemporary art. We spotlight artist-led social movements, uncover overlooked stories, and challenge established norms to make art more inclusive and accessible. With your support, we can continue to provide global coverage without the elitism often found in art journalism.
If you can, please join us as a member today. Millions rely on Hyperallergic for free, reliable information. By becoming a member, you help keep our journalism independent and accessible to all. Thank you for reading.
