Artist Mike Kelley, described by colleagues as an “irresistible force” in contemporary art, has died at his home in Los Angeles, having apparently taken his own life. He was 57. After graduating college in 1976, he moved to Los Angeles to attend the California Institute of the Arts, studying alongside teachers like John Baldessari and Laurie Anderson. Kelley's career took off in the early 1990s, with solo shows at the Whitney, LACMA, and other international venues. He and Oursler organized a well-recived installation — a kind of monument to punk — at Documenta X in 1997. In the early 2000s, he began exhibiting with Gagosian Gallery after 20 years with Metro Pictures.
Kelly's work will be included in the upcoming Whitney Biennial. It is the eighth time his work has been included in the biannual exhibition. According to the New York Times, he was also in the process of putting together a show for the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Kelley's studio released a statement to the L.A. Times saying, "Mike was an irresistible force in contemporary art... We cannot believe he is gone. But we know his legacy will continue to touch and challenge anyone who crosses its path. We will miss him. We will keep him with us."
