2005 in art

The year 2005 in art involved various significant events.

Events

• June – Zentrum Paul Klee, a museum dedicated to Paul Klee, designed by Renzo Piano, opens in Bern, Switzerland.
• September 30 – Controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten .
• Museum of Art Fakes opens in Vienna.
• Banksy's Peckham Rock is installed surreptitiously in the British Museum (London) where it goes undetected for at least 3 days. ^[1]

Awards

• Archibald Prize – John Olsen, Self portrait Janus Faced
• Beck's Futures – Christina Mackie
• Caldecott Medal for children's book illustration – Kevin Henkes, Kitten's First Full Moon
• Rolf Schock Prize in Visual Arts – Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa
• Turner Prize – Simon Starling, Shedboatshed
• The Venice Biennial (June 12 – November 6):
  • Lion d'Or Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement: Barbara Kruger (USA)
  • Lion d'Or for Best Pavilion: Annette Messager (France)
• Wynne prize – Jenny Sages, The Road to Utopia

Works

See also: Category:2005 sculptures

• February 12–27 – The Gates , installation art by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in Central Park, New York City.
• May 10 – Dedication of Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, designed by architect Peter Eisenman originally working with sculptor Richard Serra (both Americans), in Berlin.
• July 9 – Unveiling of Monument to the Women of World War II, sculpted by John W. Mills, in Whitehall, London. ^[2]

• John Aiken – Monolith and Shadow (sculpture outside University College Hospital, London)
• Banksy – Crude Oil (Vettriano) ^[3]
• Louise Bourgeois – Father and Son (sculpture in Seattle)
• Herbert Dreiseitl – Artwall (installation art in Portland, Oregon)
• Elmgreen & Dragset – Prada Marfa in Marfa, Texas
• Barry Flanagan – Pirate's Wheel ^[4]
• Kennardphilips - Photo Op , photomontage of Tony Blair in front of burning oil
• Damian Loeb – "Straw Dogs" ^[5]
• Roy McMakin
  • Love & Loss (installation art in Seattle)
  • Untitled (Wooden Toilet)
• Ron Mueck – In Bed (sculpture in Queensland Gallery of Modern Art) ^[6]
• Odd Nerdrum – Cannibals
• Dennis Oppenheim – Engagement (sculptures)
• Bridget Riley – Red Movement
• Nelson Shanks – Bill Clinton (for the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. ^[7]
• Joel Shapiro – 20 Elements ^[8]

Exhibitions

• Aleksander Balos – Travaux récents (organised by Arts nord sud, at Espace Griffon, Crédit Municipal, Paris, France)

Deaths

January to March

• 1 January – Eugene J. Martin, American visual artist (born 1938) ^[9]
• 2 January – Frank Kelly Freas, American illustrator and painter (born 1922) ^[10]
• 4 January
  • Guy Davenport, American writer, translator, illustrator, painter, intellectual and teacher (born 1927)^{[ citation needed ]}
  • Alton Tobey, American painter, historical artist, muralist, portraitist, illustrator and teacher (born 1914) ^[11]
• 14 January
  • Conroy Maddox, English surrealist painter, collagist, writer and lecturer (b.1912) ^[12]
  • Rudolph Moshammer, German fashion designer (born 1940; murdered)^{[ citation needed ]}
• 25 January
  • Philip Johnson, American major art collector, MoMA curator, influential architect (born 1906) ^[13]
  • Max Velthuijs, Dutch painter, illustrator and author (born 1923) ^[14]
• 27 January
  • Gordon Lambert, Irish art collector (born 1919) ^[15]
  • Aurélie Nemours, French painter (born 1910)
• 7 February – Paul Rebeyrolle, French painter (born 1926)
• 18 February – Harald Szeemann, Swiss curator and art historian (born 1933)
• 21 February – Zdzisław Beksiński, Polish painter, photographer, and fantasy artist (born 1929)
• 15 March – Judith Scott, American outsider fiber sculptor (born 1943)
• 20 March – Walter Hopps, American museum director and curator (born 1932)^{[ citation needed ]}

April to June

• 5 April
  • Dale Messick, first American woman syndicated comic strip artist (b.1906) ^[16]
  • Neil Welliver, American painter (b.1929)
• 10 April – Carl Abrahams, Jamaican painter (b.1911)
• 11 April – André François, French cartoonist (b.1915)
• 13 April
  • Philip Pavia, American sculptor (b.1912) ^[17]
  • Juan Zanotto, Italian-born Argentine comic book artist (b.1935)
• 19 April – Clement Meadmore, Australian-born American sculptor (b.1929)
• 22 April – Eduardo Paolozzi, Scottish-born sculptor and artist (b.1924)
• 27 May
  • Astrid Zydower, German-born British sculptor (b.1930)
  • Fay Godwin, English landscape photographer (b.1931)
• 12 June – David Whitney, American independent curator and art dealer (b.1939)
• 21 June – Al Loving, African American abstract impressionist painter (b.1935)

July to December

• 22 July – Dragoš Kalajić, Serbian painter (born 1943)
• 26 July – Robert C. Turner, American potter (b.1913)
• 27 July – Al Held, American Abstract expressionist painter (b.1928)
• 1 August – Constant Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter, one of the innovators of Unitary Urbanism (b.1920)
• 16 August – Joe Ranft, American magician, animation storyboard artist and voice actor (b.1960)
• 22 August – Juliet Pannett, English portrait artist (born 1911)
• 26 August – Robert Denning, American interior designer (b.1927)
• 22 October – Arman, French-born American artist (b.1928)
• 28 October – Raymond Hains, French artist and photographer (b.1926)
• 11 November – Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield, English photographer (b.1939)
• 2 December – Lillian Browse, English art dealer and historian (born 1906)

See also

• List of years in art

References

1. Pyne, Lydia (2019). "As seen in the British Museum". Genuine Fakes: How Phony Things Teach Us About Real Stuff. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 178–180. ISBN   9781472961815.
2. Smith, David (10 July 2005). "Queen honours war's heroines". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
3. "Banksy take on Vettriano work sells for £4.3m". BBC News. 2025-03-04. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
4. "flanagan, barry pirate wheel ||| figure ||| sotheby's l15023lot84jh2en". Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
5. "Damian Loeb (born 1970)". www.christies.com.
6. Hurlston, David; et al. (2010). Ron Mueck (Exhibition Catalog). Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria.
7. "Bill Clinton". npg.si.edu.
8. Penaranda, Ritz (September 12, 2021). "Metaphors for Thought". National Peace Corps Association.
9. "Martin, Eugene James". Oxford African American Studies Center. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
10. Holland, Stephen (January 13, 2005). "Obituary: Frank Kelly Freas". The Guardian . Retrieved June 14, 2017.
11. Saxon, Wolfgang (January 18, 2005). "Alton Tobey, 90, Portrait Artist and Muralist, Dies". The New York Times . Retrieved 2022-12-07.
12. "Conroy Maddox: Surrealist artist in Varna Road". Balsall Heath Local History Society. Archived from the original on 2011-09-09.
13. Goldberger, Paul (January 27, 2005). "Obituary: Philip Johnson, Architecture's Restless Intellect, dies at 98". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
14. "Max Velthuijs". Independent. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
15. Clavin, Terry. "Lambert, (Charles) Gordon". Dictionary of Irish Biography . Retrieved 23 June 2024.
16. "Dale Messick, Cartoonist Who Created Brenda Starr, Dies at 98". The New York Times . 2005-04-07. Archived from the original on 2015-04-03. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
17. "A Tribute to Philip Pavia (1912–2005)". The Brooklyn Rail . 2005-12-10. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-03.