The influential Lebanese-born artist and writer Etel Adnan has died, aged 96. Her death was confirmed by her longtime partner, Simone Fattal, according to the New York Times.
Curators, artists and scholars paid tribute to Adnan across social media this weekend. Hans Ulrich Obrist, the artistic director of London’s Serpentine Galleries, posted a handwritten note on Instagram by the artist stating: “Love doesn’t die when we die. It is our resurrection.”
An exhibition of Adnan’s works is currently on show at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (Light’s New Measure, until 10 January 2022) in conjunction with the major Kandinsky exhibition that opened there earlier this month. Like Kandinsky, many of Adnan’s works feature vibrant, floating orbs within minimalist landscapes, suggesting celestial bodies that evoke the scale of the boundless universe and the spirituality of the cosmos.
In a Twitter post, the Guggenheim wrote: “We mourn the loss of Etel Adnan and celebrate her indelible literary and artistic achievements, which have left a trace on so many people across the world. We are deeply honoured by the current presence of her radiant paintings in Light’s New Measure.”