‘SINGULAR VOICE’

Lauded Conceptual Artist Ashley Bickerton Dies at 63

Bickerton spent decades in Bali after getting his start on the NYC art scene in the ’80s.

Ashley Bickerton, a lurid and provocative mixed-media artist and painter who recently made a celebrated return to the United States art scene, died on Wednesday at the age of 63, Artnews reports. Bickerton spent decades living in Bali focusing largely on figurative painting after making a name for himself on the New York City art scene in the ’80s, and was the subject of a standout show at the buzzy East Village gallery O’Flaherty’s earlier this year. In May, Gagosian gallery announced that it had begun representing Bickerton and that a planned solo exhibition of his work would debut in 2023. Bickerton was diagnosed with ALS last year. “Ashley had a rebellious and singular voice in the art world that continuously captured the ethos of the time,” Larry Gagosian wrote in a statement. “He remained innovative until the very end, even with his latest body work that is yet to debut. I am proud to have known him.”