CORTLAND, N.Y. — Driscoll Babcock mourns the passing of Don Nice (1932–2019), who the gallery remembers as “a brilliant artist and a great friend. We were privileged to have mounted four solo exhibitions of his work, including his 2016 exhibition in our Chelsea gallery, ‘Don Nice: The Presence of Emblems.’”

Nice died on March 4 at the age of 86. He was an icon of the local Hudson, N.Y., area art scene, but over a long career, from his roots in California’s San Joaquin Valley to Europe, to Minneapolis and finally to Garrison, he became nationally and internationally known.

Said Driscoll Babcock, “Nice was a gifted artist who painted and sketched every day of his life and considered himself “among the most fortunate people on Earth” because he was able to pursue and sustain his individual vision as an artist.

“Over the years, we worked closely with Nice on several museum exhibitions and the creation of a monograph on his life and career titled ‘Don Nice: The Nature of Art,’ published by Pomegranate in 2004.

“We remember him and celebrate his life and art.”