Carl Andre, the mid-20th century Minimalist sculptor whose legacy is clouded by allegations that he murdered Cuban artist Ana Mendieta has died aged 88.
His death, in a hospice facility, was confirmed by Steven Henry, a senior partner with the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York, which represented Mr. Andre.
Who was Carl Andre?
Carl Andre (born September 16, 1935, Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.—died January 24, 2024, Manhattan, New York) was an American sculptor associated with Minimalism. Andre is known for abstract work made of repetitive blocks, bricks, and metal plates arranged directly on the floor.
Like other Minimalists of his generation, Andre constructed his works out of industrial materials that called attention to the inherent physical structure of the piece and to the architecture of the surrounding space. Eschewing metaphor and symbolism, Andre’s work operates as a set of purely physical and perceptual concerns.
Andre attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, from 1951 to 1953. After serving in the army for a year, he moved in 1957 to New York City. Andre became associated with Frank Stella in 1958 and worked in Stella’s studio while developing his own drawings and sculpture.
Stella’s abstract paintings of that period were an important influence on Andre’s developing aesthetic. A number of experiences—including four years of work in railyards in the early 1960s and a trip to the prehistoric archaeological site of Stonehenge in England—solidified Andre’s determination to work with modular units.
Andre began his sculptural practice by carving into wood timbers, but then he became more interested in using the timber planks themselves as structural pieces. In 1965 he shifted from stacked wood pieces to commercially prefabricated materials—blocks and bricks—with the intent of demystifying the role of the artist’s hand.
He next became interested in placing square metal tiles onto larger squares, upon which he invited viewers to walk. For museumgoers or gallerygoers, who were more accustomed to keeping their distance from artworks and to observing sculptures on pedestals, the effect of walking on a work of art was challenging.
Carl Andre cause of death
Carl Andre died on January 24, 2024 at the age of 88. The cause of his death was not publicly disclosed, but he had been suffering from various health problems in his later years.
Carl Andre net worth
Carl Andre’s net worth was not publicly known at the time of his death. However, some of his sculptures have sold for high prices at auctions.
For example, in 2014, his work 100 Copper Square (1968) fetched $16.3 million at Christie’s New York.
Carl Andre wife
Carl Andre was married four times, but his most famous and controversial wife was Ana Mendieta, a Cuban-American artist who fell from their 34th-floor apartment window in 1985.
Andre was accused of murdering her, but he was acquitted in 1988 after a trial that lasted three years. The case sparked protests and debates in the art world, and some people still believe that Andre was guilty.
Andre and Mendieta had met in 1979 and married in 1985, just a few months before her death. They were both influential artists in their own fields.
Ana Mendieta was Andre’s third wife. According to a Washington Post interview with Robert Katz, author of Naked by the Window: The Fatal Marriage of Carl Andre and Ana Mendieta (1990), Andre’s first wife “vanished without even leaving her name”. From 1964 to 1970 he was married to the painter Rosemarie Castoro. The marriage ended in divorce.
Carl Andre is survived by his fourth wife, the artist Melissa Kretschmer.
Carl Andre children
Carl Andre did not have any children. He was married fourth times, but none of his marriages produced any offspring.
Andre is survived by his fourth wife, artist Melissa Kretschmer, and his sister Carol.
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