Remembering Alan Saret, Julio Le Parc, and Hilde Lynn Helphenstein
This week, we honor a postminimalist sculptor, a Pop Art legend, and the satirist behind “Jerry Gogosian.”
In Memoriam is published every Wednesday afternoon and honors those we recently lost in the art world.
Alan Saret (1944–2026)
Postminimalist sculptor, draftsman, and installation artist
His flexible wire sculptures and pencil drawings helped define the "anti-form" strain of the postminimalist movement. He stressed art's organic and illusionistic qualities, making his works through a process he described as "ensoulment."
"A wonderful artist whose work brought joy," Laura Hoptman, director of the Drawing Center, wrote in a tribute on Instagram. "His memory will live on in his sculptures and his drawings."
Saret received a survey at what is now MoMA PS1 in 1990 — during which he carved an aperture into a brick wall, which remains to this day. His work is held at institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and more.
Hilde Lynn Helphenstein aka "Jerry Gogosian" (1985–2026)
Art-world satirist
She was known for her once-anonymous satirical Instagram account @JerryGogosian, where she began posting memes about the art world in 2018 before moving away from the project last year. In 2022, she curated an online show of works by emerging artists at Sotheby's, and she hosted the contemporary art podcast Art Smack.
Julio Le Parc (1928–2026)
Franco-Argentine kinetic and Pop Art legend
A founding member of the artistic collective Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV) and a key figure of the kinetic and Op Art movements, he transformed the viewer into an active participant with works that dismantled art-world hierarchies. He defined himself as a "cultural guerrilla," leading a boycott of the 1971 São Paulo Biennial over Brazil's military dictatorship and organizing Contrabienal, a counter-project that documented state violence.
A major retrospective dedicated to his work will open at the Tate Modern in London on June 11.
Jay Milder (1934–2026)
Figurative expressionist painter
An integral part of NYC's downtown art scene and part of the second generation of the New York School, he painted bold abstractions that interpreted city life, such as his portrait series Subway Runners (1960–64). He co-founded City Gallery with artist Red Grooms, where he championed contemporaries such as Claes Oldenburg and Jim Dine.
Randall Bourscheidt (1944–2026)
Arts advocate and Andy Warhol actor
He led the Alliance for the Arts advocacy group and worked as an arts administrator in New York City, nearly tripling its art budget as deputy commissioner of cultural affairs from 1981–87. One of his greatest achievements was creating the advocacy and preservation program Estate Project for Artists With AIDS, and he was also an actor in Andy Warhol's films.
Dang Van Phuoc (1935–2026)
Vietnamese photographer who captured the Vietnam War
From 1965 through the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, he traveled across the country as a photojournalist for the Associated Press. He later became a portrait photographer in Orange County, California.
Robin Alastair Hurlstone (1958–2026)
British actor and art dealer
He was a dealer in 18th-century paintings and furniture, known for purchasing Lucio Fontana's "Concetto Spaziale, Attese" (1963) at Christie’s in 2006 for far above the pre-sale estimate. As an actor, he is known for voicing farmer Walter Boggis in Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009).
Marie-Jo Lafontaine (1950–2026)
Belgian multi-media artist
She worked across video art, large-scale textiles, photography, and sculpture, with her video installation “Les Larmes d’acier” (1987) at documenta 8 catapulting her to international fame. She won the Prix Jeune Peinture Belge in 1977, was a professor of media art at the University of Arts and Design in Karlsruhe, and was the cultural ambassador of Flanders in the 1990s.
Nicholas Pope (1949–2026)
British abstract sculptor
Across a five-decade career, he made monumental sculptures out of raw wood, terracotta, knitwear, and much more — a response to the cold, severe Minimalist movement of the United States in the 1970s. He represented Britain at the 1980 Venice Biennale, and his work is in the collections of institutions like the Tate and Guggenheim.
Arleen Schloss (1943–2026)
Performance artist and No Wave pioneer
She was a crucial figure in New York City's underground art movement in the 1970s, running the A's, an iconic interdisciplinary loft space that hosted outsider performances. Her sound poetry pieces, in particular "How She Sees It By Her" (1983), earned her acclaim in the art world, and she went on to produce a documentary on virtual reality, teach in the computer arts department at the School of Visual Arts, and curate numerous exhibitions.
Matthew Spender (1945–2026)
British sculptor, painter, and writer
The Chianti, Italy-based artist made paintings and sculptures using materials like wood, terracotta, and marble. He wrote Within Tuscany (1992) — a reflection on Italian art that partially inspired Stealing Beauty, director Bernardo Bertolucci's 1996 film starring Liv Tyler — as well as From a High Place: A Life of Arshile Gorky (1999).
