Philip Pearlstein Cause of Death

Philip Pearlstein, a painter whose coolly observed nudes reclaimed the naked human body for painting died Saturday, December 17, 2022, morning in Manhattan. He was 98.

The death was confirmed by Betty Cuningham of the Betty Cuningham Gallery in New York. No cause was given.

Philip Pearlstein’s career coincided with a growing feminist consciousness in the art world, and for some women, his photographs were just another example of the male gaze objectifying the female body.

Philip Pearlstein’s artistic interest extended beyond his naked subjects. The human figure competes for attention, especially in later paintings, with Turkish rugs, African or Asian masks

Younger realist painters such as Chuck Close, Rackstraw Downes, Janet Fish, and Sylvia Plimack Mangold were influenced by Mr Pearlstein.

Mr Pearlstein’s paintings can be found in major museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington and the Art Institute of Chicago. He was the president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters from 2003 to 2006.