In Memory of Glen Baxter, Pat Steir, and Melvin Edwards

This week, we pay tribute to several influential figures from the art world who have recently passed away.

**Glen Baxter** (1944–2026): Glen Baxter was a British cartoonist and artist known for his absurdist drawings and cartoons that drew inspiration from adventure comics and pulp fiction. His work was prominent in major publications such as The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. Regularly exhibiting at Flowers Gallery, Baxter’s art is featured in collections at the Tate Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

**Melvin Edwards** (1937–2026): Edwards was a minimalist sculptor renowned for his welded steel sculptures that explored themes of modern art, race, civil rights, and protest. His impactful series, *Lynch Fragments* (1936–2026), utilized industrial materials like chains and barbed wire to investigate racist violence in the US. His works are held in notable collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

**Pat Steir** (1938–2026): Pat Steir was a trailblazing feminist artist whose paintings embodied a choreography of flinging, pouring, and layering paint, aligning with conceptual and Minimalism-adjacent movements. Active in the women’s movement, she was instrumental in founding institutions like Heresies Collective and Printed Matter, Inc, and served on the editorial board of Semiotext(e).

**Ali Sbeity** (d. 2026): A Lebanese portrait painter, Sbeity created murals for schools in Beirut and produced works in wood and ceramics. Tragically, he was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Kafra.

**Josefina Aguilar** (1945–2026): A leading Mexican folk artist, Aguilar depicted everyday life with red clay and acrylic paints. Despite losing her sight, she continued to work, gaining prominence with the help of collector Nelson Rockefeller. Her work has been exhibited at institutions such as the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Mexican Museum in San Francisco.

**Neil Cossons** (1939–2026): A British historian and museum director, Cossons contributed significantly to the understanding of industrial heritage. He led multiple institutions, served as the chair of English Heritage Trust, and was chairman of the Royal College of Art.

**Charles Debenham** (1933–2026): As a British painter, designer, and educator, Debenham designed postage stamps for the British government and worked as a design consultant. He captured the landscapes of East Anglia in his paintings and taught at the Greyfriars Adult Education Centre in Colchester, England.

**Andreas Karayian** (1943–2026): A Cypriot painter and writer, Karayian was a significant contemporary Cypriot artist known for his introspective and erotically-inflected visual language. He participated in the 2001 Venice Biennale, challenging prevailing art conventions.

**Lloyd Le Blanc** (1940–2026): An American-British bronze sculptor, Le Blanc created massive sculptures depicting flora and fauna. His work featured prominently in gardens and hotels, including those of celebrity chef Raymond Blanc. Le Blanc and his wife converted historic farm buildings into studios in Saxby, Leicestershire, England.

These artists have left a lasting legacy in their respective fields, each contributing uniquely to the tapestry of art and culture.