LeRoy Neiman

popular name: Siné

date_of_death: May 5, 2016

age: 87

cause_of_death: Surgery for lung cancer

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Siné was a controversial French cartoonist and caricaturist whose early successes in this arena led him into the fields as a book illustrator and designer of posters, stage decors, animated cartoons and publicity films. Siné began his professional career as a retoucher for pornographic magazines and published his first cartoon in France Dimanche in 1952 which won the Black Humour Award for his cartoon collection 'Complainte sans Paroles' in 1955. Siné became especially famous for his wordplay cartoons about cats. Until 1962, he made political cartoons for L'Express, some of which were refused or caused heavy criticism. He subsequently published his anti-colonial, anti-zionist, anti-capitalist and anti-clerical worldviews in his own publication, Siné Massacre. Siné's anarchistic and anti-colonial cartoons have caused controversy on several occasions during his career, especially during the Algerian war. He was fired from Charlie-Hebdo in 2008, following a antisemitic cartoon on Jessica Sebaoun-Darty, the wife of Jean Sarkozy. In August of 2008 he announced his own satirical weekly, called Siné Hebdo, launched with his wife Catherine Sinet and about 15 contributors. The publication ran until April 2010, but was continued as Siné Mensuel in September 2011. Siné has additionally made many drawings for books about jazz music, as well as CD covers.

popular name: Marc Chagall

date_of_death: March 28, 1985

age: 97

cause_of_death: Natural causes

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Marc Chagall was a Russian and French artist considered by many the last great master of his century. An early modernist, he was associated with the École de Paris, as well as several major artistic styles and created works in a wide range of artistic formats, including painting, drawings, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramics, tapestries and fine art prints. Merging Cubism, Fauvism, and Surrealism, Marc Chagall ploughed a bold, bright, and distinctly abstract furrow as a pioneering modernist in the early 20th century. He created dream-like figurative and narrative art exploring life in Russia and France and his Jewish identity, and he influenced generations of future artists in the process. Some of his greatest works of art include I and the Village (1911), Paris Through the Window (1913), Green Violinist (1923-24) and Le cheval de cirque (Circus Horse) (1964). Grave of Marc Chagall can be found at Saint-Paul de Vence Cemetery in the South of France.

popular name: Camille Corot

date_of_death: 22 February 22, 1875

age: 78

cause_of_death: Stomach disease

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Camille Corot (1796–1875) was a French artist known for his landscape paintings and his role in the development of the Barbizon School. Born in Paris, he initially studied at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, but he also developed a deep passion for nature, which greatly influenced his work. Corot’s early career involved portrait painting, but he gained fame for his landscapes, especially those inspired by his travels in Italy. Corot became renowned for his poetic approach to nature, with a focus on light and atmosphere. His innovative use of color and brushwork had a significant impact on later artists, particularly the Impressionists. Corot was known for working both outdoors, directly from nature, and in the studio, creating a balance between realism and a more emotional, idealized vision of the landscape. Some of most important works include Ville d'Avray (1865), Venise, La Piazetta and The Bridge at Narni. Throughout his life, Corot received recognition and success, but he remained modest and humble about his work. He exhibited widely, particularly at the Salon, and was highly respected by his contemporaries including Jean-François Millet, Théodore Rousseau, Charles-François Daubigny and Honoré Daumier. His legacy endures as one of the key figures in the transition from classical to modern art, influencing both landscape painting and the evolution of plein-air techniques. Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris, France.