Painter Walter Robinson has died, at the age of 74. In addition to his own art practice, Robinson cofounded Printed Matter (with Sol LeWitt and Lucy Lippard) in 1976, was part of the Collaborative Projects collective (with Kiki Smith, Jenny Holzer and others) and edited Art-Rite Magazine (with Edit DeAk, and Joshua Cohn). He also coined the term Zombie Formalism.
"The wonderful and wry Walter Robinson, painter, writer, and editor, was one of Printed Matter’s founding members. In the decades since he has shared a long history with us as a friend, collaborator and frequent supporter, and many of his projects have remained hugely important to Printed Matter’s own storyline. We are deeply sad to learn of his recent passing.
Walter was one of the founding editors of Art-Rite, an underground arts magazine that served a new generation of arts writing, presenting a platform for lively criticism and off-beat artists’ projects from a community of downtown artists — an incredible publication and archive that was the focus of our 2023 exhibition From the Margins: The Making of Art-Rite. Through that process Walter brought a wealth of knowledge and insight, and helped to paint a richly rendered history of his experience co-editing the publication, sharing anecdotes and remembrances from the time. He was also an active member of Collaborative Projects Inc (Colab), the dynamic gathering of young artists who organized a series of now legendary shows and other art initiatives in the late 1970s – mid 1980s. In 2016 we had the pleasure of publishing a book that collected the varied work of the group, bookended by two pieces of writing by Walter.
Across his many projects in the arts, Walter brought an insuppressible energy to his work and collaborations that was inventive, generous, and often delivered with incisive humor. His lasting impact has been felt profoundly across New York’s arts culture and beyond. We’ll miss him dearly.”
- Printed Matter press release
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