In Memoriam: Dorothy Lichtenstein (1939-2024)

The Parrish Art Museum lost a dear friend in Dorothy Lichtenstein (1939-2024). We mourn the loss of Dorothy, a Life Trustee, who was an elegant force, a generous light in the art world, and a champion of many artists and causes. Her impact and loss is especially felt here on the East End. Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein moved to Southampton, New York, in 1970, beginning a warm relationship with the Parrish and our community.

In 2017, Dorothy and her friend Agnes Gund, a fellow visionary, established the Dorothy Lichtenstein ArtsReach Fund for art and social justice at the Parrish. ArtsReach supported exhibitions like Barthélémy Toguo: The Beauty of Our Voice (2018), Tomashi Jackson: The Land Claim (2021), and Another Justice: US is Them–Hank Willis Thomas | For Freedoms (2022).

Dorothy believed in the thriving artist community of the East End, supporting exhibitions of artists with a deep connection here, including Keith Sonnier: Until Today (2019), Mel Kendrick: Seeing Things in Things (2022), and Artists Choose Parrish (2023), among many others.

She was key in bringing Roy Lichtenstein: History in the Making, 1948-1960 (2021) to the Parrish. She also facilitated major acquisitions of works by her husband Roy, as well as by Jennifer Bartlett, Dan Flavin, Tomashi Jackson, Li-Lan, Elizabeth Peyton, Keith Sonnier, Barthélémy Toguo, and others.

As co-founder of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, she tirelessly committed to her late husband’s legacy. The Lichtenstein Theater at the Parrish and the Tokyo Brushstroke I & II sculptures in our meadow, a long-term loan from the Flag Art Foundation, stand as beacons of the Lichtenstein legacy.

The Museum extends its heartfelt condolences to everyone touched by Dorothy’s extraordinary spirit. She has inspired generations to come, and we will commemorate her full life at the Parrish with a special program later this year.

Roy Lichtenstein, American, 1923–1997, Apple with Brushstrokes, ca. 1984. Collage on paper, 29 1/2 x 26 inches. Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, N.Y., Gift of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein 1992.5.2

Roy Lichtenstein, American, 1923–1997 Peace Through Chemistry, 1969. Graphite on paper, 20 x 36 inches. Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, N.Y., Gift of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein 1992.5.1