WERNER KRAMARSKY

KRAMARSKY--Werner H. The Board and staff of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts mourn the death of former Board Chair and longtime friend and advisor to the foundation, Werner (Wynn) Kramarsky. Wynn's personal commitment to supporting artists and to defending freedom of artistic expression mirrored the core values of the foundation. As Chair, he helped steer the foundation's course according to the dearly held principles that art is essential to an open, enlightened democracy and that freedom of artistic expression is fundamental to the health of our culture. During his tenure, the foundation responded to the Culture Wars-induced termination of the NEA's individual grants program by helping to establish Creative Capital; supported the legal case of the Brooklyn Museum against then-mayor Rudy Giuliani's charge of indecency and threat to pull city funding; and made grants to numerous organizations supporting first amendment-focused work. Upon his retirement from the Board in 2006, the Foundation established the annual Wynn Kramarsky Freedom of Artistic Expression Award to recognize outstanding creative, legal and curatorial efforts on behalf of artists whose rights to free expression have been challenged. We remember and celebrate Wynn not only for his unwavering advocacy for artists, but also for his warmth, humor and erudition. Our deepest condolences go out to his family; his spirit continues to animate the ongoing work of the foundation.