This week, we honor the founder of an influential photojournalism festival, a fixture of NYC’s downtown art scene, and a fashionista and gallerist.
Director of Visa pour l’image festival Jean-François Leroy poses during a photo session at the 36th edition of the “Visa pour l’image” press photography festival in Perpignan, southwestern France, on September 2, 2024. (photo Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP via Getty Images)
In Memoriam is published every Wednesday afternoon and honors those we recently lost in the art world.
Jean-François Leroy (1956–2026)
French photographer who founded an influential photojournalism festival
He co-founded and directed the leading photojournalism festival Visa Pour l’Image, bringing attention to world conflicts and environmental disasters and bolstering the careers of photographers. He was also a photographer in his own right, and edited Photo Magazine during the late 1980s.
Lucien Smith (1989–2026)
Fixture of NYC’s downtown art scene
Artist Lucien Smith (1989–2026) (photo Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
The abstract painter and nonprofit founder channeled the community ethos of New York in the 1970s. Best known as an artist for his Rain Paintings series (2011–12), he also founded the organization Serving the People in 2017, which hosted weekly discussions and meetings around artists’ ideas, processes, and work in major cities across the world.
Jibby Beane (d. 2026)
British gallerist and fashion icon
Jibby Beane (photo @jeffreylouisreed via Instagram, screenshot Lisa Yin Zhang/Hyperallergic)
She bridged the fashion and art worlds, modeling for designers like Vivienne Westwood and opening a home gallery in 1994 that supported emerging talent, including British artist and composer Martin Creed.
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