Joe Zucker Explained

Joseph Irwin Zucker (May 21, 1941 – May 15, 2024) was an American artist. Born in Chicago, he received a B.F.A. from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1964 and an M.F.A., from the same institution in 1966.^{[1] [2]}

His art was quirky and idiosyncratic, and most often related to the materials, such as cotton and plastic. His Porthole #4 from 1981, in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art, demonstrated his innovative use of unusual materials.^[3] The Art Institute of Chicago, the Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art (Northwestern University, Illinois), the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (Fort Worth, Texas), the Museum of Modern Art (New York City), the Parrish Art Museum (Water Mill, New York), the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington D.C.), and the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota) are among the public collections holding work by Joe Zucker.^[4]

Personal life

Zucker, who was Jewish, attended Chicago Sinai Congregation during his youth. He lived in New York City for years until he moved to East Hampton, New York, in the 1980s.^[1] He was a volunteer coach for the Bridgehampton School high school basketball team.^[5]

Zucker was married to Britta Le Va.^[1]

Zucker's health declined after a car accident in 2022. He died from multiple organ failure at his home on May 15, 2024, at the age of 82.^{[1] [6]}

In media

Zucker appeared in a 2017 documentary about the Bridgehampton basketball team entitled Killer Bees, produced by Shaquille O'Neal.^[7]

He and Le Va featured in a 2021 episode of Heavyweight.

References

• Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Cy Twombly - Christopher Wilmarth - Joe Zucker, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1986
• Kord, Catherine, Richard Artschwager, Chuck Close, Joe Zucker, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, 1976,
• Yablonsky, Linda, Joe Zucker: Open Storage, New Paintings / Container Ships, Paul Kasmin, David Nolan Galleries, 2006,
• Zucker, Joe, Surfacing images: The paintings of Joe Zucker, 1969-1982, Albright-Knox Art Academy, 1982,
• Zucker, Joe, Joe Zucker. September 28 – October 28, 1989, Hirschl & Adler Modern, 1989,
• Zucker, Joe, Joe Zucker: Ravenna, GBE (Modern) Gavlak Projects, 2003,
• Zucker, Joe, Joe Zucker: an Exhibition, Baltimore Museum of Art, 1976.
• Zucker, Joe, Joe Zucker: a Decade of Paintings (1983-1994), Track 16 Gallery, 1995
• Zucker, Joe and Terry R. Myers Zucker, Joe Zucker: The Grid Paintings, Corbett vs. Dempsey, Modern Art & Uncommon Objects, Chicago IL, 2011,

Notes and References

1. News: Joe Zucker, Prolific Painter of Innumerable Styles, Dies at 82. Heinrich. Will. May 23, 2024. May 23, 2024. The New York Times. limited.
2. Web site: Mary Boone Gallery . February 16, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160529170308/http://www.maryboonegallery.com/artist_info/jzucker_info.html . May 29, 2016 . dead .
3. Web site: Joe Zucker by Chuck Close . Bombmagazine.org. December 8, 2021.
4. Web site: Joe Zucker Online. Artcyclopedia.com.
5. Web site: At Home With Artist Joe Zucker. 27east.com. August 14, 2011. December 8, 2021.
6. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/joe-zucker-painter-dead-1234707297/ Joe Zucker, Painter of Canvases That Subverted Conventions, Dies at 83
7. Web site: Sblendorio . Peter . November 18, 2018 . Shaquille O'Neal has an important reason for producing a movie . Nydailynews.com.