In memoriam: celebrating the lives and work of those we lost in 2022
We honour and remember some of the influential creatives lost during 2022, through the Wallpaper* tributes that ran throughout the year
As we begin to look back on 2022, we pause to remember some of the most inspirational leading creatives we have sadly lost during the year and, through the tributes below, to celebrate their work and enduring influence.
IN MEMORIAM
Ricardo Bofill, architect (1939 – 2022)
Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill passed away this year at the age of 82. Perhaps the country’s most acclaimed and best-known contemporary architect, Bofill’s long career saw him carve a distinctive personal path through the built environment, incorporating rich colours and abstract forms.
Carmen Herrera, artist (1915 – 2022)
Cuba-born American artist Carmen Herrera passed away peacefully in her sleep in February, aged 106. Her life's work saw her pioneer 20th-century abstract painting, becoming an active member of the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles and exhibiting alongside Max Bill and Piet Mondrian, among other key figures.
Dan Graham, artist and writer (1942 – 2022)
Pioneering American visual artist, writer and curator Dan Graham died in New York City aged 79. Through cognitive and visual experiences, his art occupied an in-between, fluid and hybrid space, cloaking complex theories in a veil of simplicity. Considered one of the pioneers of conceptual art (though a term he recently disavowed) he broke rules, re-wrote conventions and imagined an art beyond the white-walled, cubic confines of the gallery.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Russell Bell, illustrator (1958 – 2022)
Few illustrators can claim to have had as much impact on the aesthetic of Wallpaper* as Russell Bell, who died at the end of March 2022, after a short battle with cancer. Bell’s purist, clean-lined approach lent authority to every subject he tackled, from architecture to future technology.
André Dubreuil, designer (1951 – 2022)
Dubbed poète du fer (poet of iron) by biographer Jean-Louis Gaillemin, André Dubreuil created highly inventive furniture pieces, both fantastical and classical – bold adventures in metallurgy and glass, referencing Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, the silhouettes of André-Charles Boulle and more.
Marcus Fairs, journalist (1967 – 2022)
Marcus Fairs passing at the age of 54 was a shock to the design community this year. As editor of Icon, and then CEO and editor-in-chief of Dezeen, Fairs nurtured a reputation for fearsome energy, an incredible eye for editorial talent, and an unwavering belief in the cultural importance of design and architecture.
Issey Miyake, fashion pioneer (1938 – 2022)
Issey Miyake, designer and founder of the Miyake Design Studio and the Issey Miyake Group, passed away aged 84. Miyake’s work was defined by a dynamic approach to design, which combined boundary-pushing technical innovation with a deft use of colour and silhouette. Miyake was fascinated at once by the richness and pragmatism of Japanese craft, Western youth culture, and the flair of European couture.
William Klein, fashion and street photographer and cinematographer (1928 – 2022)
William Klein, the American-French artist responsible for transforming the worlds of fashion photography, street photography and cinema verité, died in Paris aged 96 this year. ‘I came from the outside,’ Klein once said.
Pierre Soulages, artist (1919 – 2022)
Known for a sensational ability to subtly depict the unseen, Pierre Soulages has gained worldwide recognition as a key figure in both abstract expressionism and art informel. By turning black into an incandescent colour, the artist put the spotlight on the origins of humanity in its darkness and light.
Fernando Campana, architect and designer (1961 – 2022)
Fernando Campana passed away in November, aged 61. He was one half of Estudio Campana, which he founded with his brother Humberto in 1984 in Brotas, outside São Paulo. Together, the brothers combined their disruptive design practice with an innovative look at Brazilian culture and craft traditions, and an approach that merged furniture-making with social outreach.
George Lois, graphic designer (1931 – 2022)
George Lois passed away aged 91, two months after the death of his wife, Rosemary, an artist whom he met on the first day they attended Pratt Institute in September 1949, and to whom he was dearly devoted. They were together for 71 years. Throughout his 60-year career, he was behind numerous advertising and creative agencies, wrote books about art direction and advertising, and even collaborated with start-up brands in his later years.
Ashley Bickerton, artist (1959 – 2022)
Bali-based Bickerton’s work grew to prominence in the 1980s, and he is widely named as a contributor to the Neo-Geo movement, which commented on social isolation and critiqued consumerism, commercialisation, and society in the late-1900s.
Pierluigi Cerri, architect, designer, curator, editor and academic (1939 – 2022)
Pierluigi Cerri passed away on Tuesday 29 November at age 83. The Italian architect, designer, curator, editor, academic and three-time Compasso d’Oro laureate was a polymath and a visionary: his work spanned from design to fashion, from exhibition curation to architecture, leaving an everlasting mark on the contemporary creative industries.
Martha Elliott is the Junior Digital News Editor at Wallpaper*. After graduating from university she worked in arts-based behavioural therapy, then embarked on a career in journalism, joining Wallpaper* at the start of 2022. She reports on art, design and architecture, as well as covering regular news stories across all channels.
-
Discover Eve Arnold’s intimate unseen images of Marilyn Monroe
‘Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold’, published by ACC Art Books, is a personal portrayal of an icon
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Mallorca’s ‘chocolate hotel’ celebrates six decades of Mediterranean panache
Sixty years after it opened, Hotel de Mar remains a celebrated example of Mediterranean vernacular architecture
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Cadillac extends its EV portfolio with the new Vistiq, a luxury three-row SUV
If you absolutely have to drive an SUV, the launch of the Cadillac Vistiq means the marque now offers a full suite of electric options
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
We remember Kenneth Grange, the British industrial designer, who has died aged 95
Kenneth Grange was a colossus of post-war design. With a career spanning six decades, his mission for improvement touched everything from trains to fountain pens, taxis to toothbrushes
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Design world mourns Gaetano Pesce (1939-2024), the ‘most radical of radicals’
We remember Gaetano Pesce, the rule-breaking Italian design visionary, who has died in New York aged 84
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
In memoriam: celebrating the lives and work of those we lost in 2023
We honour and remember some of the influential creatives lost during 2023, through the Wallpaper* tributes that ran throughout the year
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
In Memoriam: Maria Pergay (1930 – 2023)
We remember design dame Maria Pergay, who died on 31 October 2023 aged 93
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
In Memoriam: Andrea Branzi (1938 – 2023)
We remember Italian design radical Andrea Branzi, who died on 9 October 2023
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
In Memoriam: Rodolfo Dordoni (1954 - 2023)
We remember Italian designer and architect Rodolfo Dordoni, who died on 1 August 2023
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
In memoriam: Thomas Eyck (1964 – 2023)
We remember Dutch design entrepreneur Thomas Eyck, a champion of craft, materiality and beauty who helped elevate many of the Netherlands’ contemporary design stars
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
In Memoriam: Italo Lupi (1934 – 2023)
We remember Italian creative Italo Lupi: an architect and graphic designer who left his mark on brands and institutions in Italy and globally
By Rosa Bertoli Published