Who was Raymond Saunders? All about the artist who reportedly died at 90

The art world today lost one of its big voices with the death of Raymond Saunders. The painter was also famous for his distinctive art style, which gave life to everyday items, and his paintings often had a philosophical bent to them. Galleries Andrew Kreps and David Zwirner confirmed the news of his demise, which represented Raymond at the time of his death.

The cause of his death is yet to be confirmed, but the news has resulted in a shower of tributes to the artist. Thousands of art lovers appreciated the work done by Raymond Saunders, as his work was displayed in museums across America as part of their permanent collection, such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art.

Many young creators have cited Raymond Saunders as a major influence on their approach to mixed media. He was also a major supporter of artistic liberation and set the stage for many artists who came after him by stressing the importance of making art that could be accessible to all.

Raymond Saunders constantly challenged the conventional categorization of Black artists through his works, and one of the major works was the "Black is a Color" pamphlet, which he self-published in 1967.

Saunders described his concepts of being an artist in the pamphlet, in which he said:

"i am not here to play the gallery. i am not responsible for anyone’s entertainment. i am responsible for being as fully myself, as man and artist, as I possibly can be, while allowing myself to hope that in the effort some light, some love, some beauty may be shed upon the world, and perhaps some inequities put right."

Raymond Saunders - a brief history

Raymond Saunders' artistic career spanned over six decades, during which he gained a lot of recognition for his works. He was born in Pennsylvania and was mentored by Joseph C. Fitzpatrick and professors at the Barnes Foundation later on in his life, which shaped his foundations for life. He later attended Carnegie Institute of Technology in order to acquire a fine arts education.

Saunders started his formative years during his years in Carnegie, where he formulated his artistic work and took in the influences of abstract expressionism, pop art, and other contemporary varieties. Later, Raymond Saunders became an educator at California State University and continued to motivate artists across the country and beyond.

As he evolved, he began incorporating collage and assemblage into his work. A number of museums in America still retain his artwork, which goes to show how important his contributions to American art are to this day.

His final exhibition was a retrospective, named Flowers of a Black Garden, which took place at the Carnegie Museum of Art earlier this year.

Saunders' artworks opened new possibilities for artists of all backgrounds, and his artistic legacy will continue to adorn the gilded halls of art galleries for years to come.

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