By Carol Sims
NEW YORK CITY -- Richard T. York died on Wednesday, April 2. He
was 52. His funeral was held in Tennessee. (York was born in
Nashville, Tenn.) A memorial service in New York City will be
announced at a later date.
Mr He was interested in up and coming artists, too. Two shows
this year were devoted to contemporary artists Dorothy Ruddick, a
sculptor and painter, and painter Peter Lyons.
He founded Richard York Gallery at 21 East 65th Street in 1981.
Just five years later he was elected to membership in the Art
Dealers Association of America, an organization to which he
devoted countless hours, both on the membership committee and as
vice president. After about a decade in the business, Mr York
added a second floor to expand his gallery. Richard York Gallery
represents the estates of Joseph Stella, John Marin and Steve
Wheeler.
During his more than 20 years as an art dealer, Mr York sold
important works of American art to museums throughout the
country, including "Petunias" by Georgia O'Keeffe to the M.H. de
Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco. He also sold art to the
National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Metropolitan Museum
of Art, MoMA, New York City, and many other institutions.
"It is a terrible loss to the field," said fellow dealer Martha
Fleischman, owner of Kennedy Galleries. "Richard had a wonderful
eye and a great sense of style. You could see that style in
everything he did, from the framing to presentation -- down to
which pieces were hung next to each other in exhibitions. You
could see his sense of style throughout. He was extremely ethical
and set a good example for some of the younger dealers. Richard
took a curatorial approach to every show. He also had a
tremendous personal warmth and charm. We are all very sad about
this."
