Bill Horrigan, the groundbreaking curator who transformed the Wexner Center for the Arts into a mecca for film and video art, passed away on May 15 after a long battle with amyloidosis, according to an .artnews.com report. He was 73. Horrigan’s indelible 34-year tenure at the Columbus institution not only garnered international acclaim but also profoundly influenced how museums worldwide embraced moving-image artworks.
Horrigan’s innovative approach attracted luminaries like French filmmaker Chris Marker, who affectionately dubbed him his “American producer,” and artist Julia Scher, who completed a building-wide commission under his guidance. “He understands live art,” Scher remarked, praising his fearlessness in exploring “untested limits.”
Beyond film and video, Horrigan championed diverse contemporary art. He orchestrated Mark Dion’s first American institutional exhibition, curated showcases of Brazilian art, and presented works by Gretchen Bender and Shirin Neshat. His influential career also included advising the 2008 Whitney Biennial and advocating for AIDS awareness through initiatives like Video Against AIDS.
Born in Joliet, Illinois, Horrigan’s journey into film began in high school. After earning a doctorate from Northwestern University, he honed his curatorial skills at the Walker Art Center and the American Film Institute before joining the Wexner Center in 1989. His philosophy, as he once told the Columbus Dispatch, was simply, “Let’s do whatever we want and see who shows up.”
Horrigan, who became curator-at-large in 2010 before retiring in 2023, is remembered as a “legend” by former colleagues like Donna de Salvo and Helen Molesworth, a testament to his profound impact on the art world.
- Featured image: Bill Horrigan. Courtesy Wexner Center for the Art
