RIP – Painter Ed Clark Has Passed Away at the Age of 93

October 21st, 2019

Ed Clark, Untitled (2005), via Hauser & Wirth
Ed Clark, Untitled (2005), via Hauser & Wirth

Pioneering painter Ed Clark, the African-American painter known for his use of a push broom to spread bold colors across his canvases to create energetic and engaging comments on the state of the world, has passes away at the age of 93.  His death was announced by his gallery, Hauser & Wirth.

Ed Clark, Flash (1966), via Mnuchin
Ed Clark, Flash (1966), via Mnuchin

Born in New Orleans in 1926, Clark would move to Chicago and then to Europe during WWII, continuing his artistic practice during this time and exploring a range of various techniques and styles before returning to the states and settling into New York’s potent art world of 1950’s Greenwich Village.  Over the course of his seven decade career, he was a relentless and tireless innovator, exploring a range of abstraction styles and approaches to the application of paint, including his role pioneering the use of the shaped canvas.

He is survived by his daughter Melanca Clark and two grandchildren.

Read more:
Ed Clark, Pioneering Abstract Painter, Dies at 93 [NYT]