Americans for the Arts mourns the passing of visual arts pioneer Ellsworth Kelly at age 92. Mr. Kelly was a groundbreaking artist whose work defied categorization. Mr. Kelly, who shaped his distinctive style of American painting in the years after World War II, showed influences of Picasso and Byzantine mosaics. Mr Kelly proudly served the nation during World War II as a member of the "Ghost Army," a group of artists whose job it was to create disinformation with the goal of fooling the enemy. This tactical deception unit was kept secret for more than 40 years after the war, with certain elements of their work remaining classified to this day.

Americans for the Arts was proud to honor him in 2007 at the National Arts Awards with our Lifetime Achievement Award - see that video here.