Dave Hickey Dead At 82: Famed Art Critic, 'Air Guitar' Author's Tragic Health Condition Before Death Revealed
Dave Hickey, a critic, popularly known for his book "Art Guitar: Essays on Art & Democracy," has passed away at the age of 82.
According to his wife, art historian Libby Lumpkin, as reported by The Independent UK, Hickey died after years of battling heart disease.
The famed art critic passed away at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, last November 12.
Hickey spent his early days in the states of Texas, Louisiana and California. He was born in 1938 in Fort Worth, Texas.
His entry into the art industry didn't come easy as he dropped out of several graduate school programs. Eventually, he managed to open a contemporary art gallery in Austin.
Years later, he moved to New York to seek more opportunities. He ran famed galleries in the big apple and later became an editor at the Art in America.
Besides curating artworks and editing for the publication, he also became a writer for the Village Voice and Rolling Stone magazine.
Hickey is a one of a kind art critic as he was surrounded by renowned artistic people like Andy Warhol, David Bowie and more.
The artist didn't settle in NYC as he later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, to try his shot in mentoring and teaching at the University of Las Vegas.
In his famous "Air Guitar" book, he compiled essays that say Sin City is a "wonderful lens through which to view America. What is hidden elsewhere exists here in quotidian visibility."
In addition, Hickey said that the world-famous neon signs in several hotels and casinos in the city were "inauthentic" because they pushed back against notions that the city's entertainment was irrelevant.
Per the New York Post, the author is most notable for his "brash criticism of taste-making institutions."
His biographer Daniel Oppenheimer mentioned in the book "Far From Respectable: Dave Hickey and His Art" that the author is unique on his own and he belongs "in the canon of American nonfiction prose."
Hickey's works were applauded by some of the most iconic people in art history like Norman Rockwell, Ellsworth Kelly and more.
Two decades ago, he was dubbed a "genius" grant for his works by the MacArthur Foundation.
He was also inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and snagged a Peabody award for his documentary about Andy Warhol.
For his final years, he and his wife decided to settle in Santa Fe to teach at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
"He was a real intellectual without being a snob and he trusted his students to be able to think theoretically. When you put your trust in students like that, they get it and they make good art," Libby Lumpkin said.
As described by Lumpkin, Hickey has enjoyed teaching students, and it is his most important work and legacy.
