Paula Kamps, Painter of Rare Sensitivity, Dies at 36
This week, we also honor Tess Jaray, luminary of abstraction, and Ben Morea, counterculture icon.
In Memoriam is published every Wednesday afternoon and honors those we recently lost in the art world.
Paula Kamps (1990–2026)
German painter
Her paintings, often featuring fragmented figures, flowers, and scenes of daily life, bridge watercolor and drawing, with hazy and brilliant stains of color and arcane symbology. She held solo exhibitions at Galerie Christine Mayer in Munich, M. LeBlanc in Chicago, and Sans titre in Paris, and more; taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and her work is held in permanent collections of institutions such as the X Museum in Beijing.
"Paula Kamps was an artist of rare sensitivity," sans titre, her representing gallery, said in a statement. "Her work will remain with us, not only through the exhibitions, projects, and moments we shared, but through the lasting presence it continues to hold in the lives of those who encountered it."
Eric Alan Hirt “Eson” (d. 2026)
Miami graffiti legend
A prolific urban tagger and member of the Miami Style Gods (MSG) crew, he was known for traversing treacherous urban landscapes to tag street infrastructure. The artist appeared in the 2018 VICE documentary, Miami’s Graffiti Style Gods, in which he describes his passion for street tagging, which has been viewed more than 6 million times.
Lucy Edwards (1928–2026)
Master ceramicist, potter, painter, and educator
The master artisan specialized in clay platters, pots, and animals, and taught at the Long Beach Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, the Main Line and Wayne Art Centers, and more. She was a founder of the Haverford Guild of Craftsmen and a longtime member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen.
Anna Kafetsi (1954–2026)
Greek historian and founder of the National Museum of Contemporary Art
A foundational figure of Greece's contemporary art scene, she established the National Museum of Contemporary Art, its first national institution of contemporary art, and led it for 14 years. As curator of the 20th-century collections at the National Gallery–Alexandros Soutsos Museum in Athens earlier in her career, she organized a landmark exhibition on the Russian Avant-Garde, as well as others on modern art.
Tess Jaray (1937–2026)
Abstract painter and educator
Her abstract works consisted of flat, painted dramas of shape and color, and emotionally charged symbols. She took on public commissions such as the floor of the Victoria Station in the London Underground, was an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and taught at institutions including the Hornsey College of Art and the Slade for decades.
John Marion (1933–2026)
Sotheby's auctioneer
Long considered the greatest auctioneer in the United States, he oversaw many record-breaking sales, serving as the public face of Sotheby's for more than three decades. He sold pieces like Vincent van Gogh's “Irises” (1889), Pablo Picasso’s “Self-Portrait: Yo” (1901), and Andy Warhol's collection of cookie jars.
Ben Morea (1941–2026)
Artist and counterculture icon
Living on the Lower East Side in the 1970s, he published the counterculture magazine Black Mask and led Up Against the Wall Motherfucker, a team of runaways, dropouts, and artists who hosted community meals, ran a free clothing store, and assisted Vietnam War objectors. He was also an abstract painter who showed at White Columns and other major galleries.
Rainy Naha (1949–2026)
Hopi-Tewa potter
Known for hand-coiled white ware pottery, she infused Hopi-Tewa aesthetic traditions with her own individual touch. She won many awards including the “Best of Pottery” prize at the Santa Fe Indian Market in 2007, and signed her work with the traditional feather hallmark also used by her mother, Helen “Featherwoman” Naha.
Margot Wellington (1934–2026)
The woman who saved Grand Central Terminal
As director of the Municipal Art Society, she helped save New York City's iconic Grand Central from demolition, helping establish landmark preservation law. She also led groundbreaking campaigns to create historic landmark districts and rescue other endangered buildings like Radio City Music Hall.
