Remembering Erik Bulatov, Kazuki Motoyama, and Ken Parker
This week, we honor a pillar of Soviet pop, the man behind Mario, a founder of an art commune, and more.
In Memoriam is published every Wednesday afternoon and honors those we recently lost in the art world.
Erik Bulatov (1933–2025)
Pillar of Russia's contemporary art scene
He was a leading figure of the Soviet pop art scene, founding the Moscow Conceptualists, which opposed official government art, as well as the Sots art movement, which remixed Soviet slogans. In 2015, he was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. "I have been working on connecting the space of the painting with the space of our life," he said in a 2017 interview.
Eileen Harris (1932–2025)
American-British architectural historian and museum consultant
The scholar and writer was an expert on neoclassical architect and designer Robert Adam.
Kazuki Motoyama (1956–2025)
Japanese gaming and manga artist
He was behind 1988's Super Mario video game, helping propel the character to global recognition and affection.
Ken Parker (1952–2025)
Iconoclastic guitar maker
He made objects fit for the art museum — in fact, his works have been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.
Peter 'Jungle' Phillips (1956–2025)
Australian self-taught artist
His house in Adelaide was known as an "open gallery" with colorful artworks and furniture. He started out painting "sadness," incorporating angels and demons, before his work shifted toward happiness, hope, and love.
Nikos Stefanou (1933–2025)
Greek ceramicist, sculptor, restorer, and founder of an artist commune
He wore many hats, among them a copyist-restorer of mosaics and icons from the Daphni Monastery and Mount Athos in Athens. He also founded an art commune in the city.
Sharon Von Senden (1942–2025)
Self-taught mosaicist
She made the intricate and expansive mosaics at the City Museum in St. Louis, including the sea creatures across the lobby, reptiles that climb up the columns, and more.
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