Joe Zucker

Joseph Irwin Zucker (May 21, 1941 – May 15, 2024) was an American artist. Born in Chicago, he received a B.F.A. from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1964 and an M.F.A., from the same institution in 1966.

His art was quirky and idiosyncratic, and most often relates to the materials, such as cotton and plastic. His Porthole #4 from 1981, in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art, demonstrated his innovative use of unusual materials. The Art Institute of Chicago, the Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art (Northwestern University, Illinois), the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (Fort Worth, Texas), the Museum of Modern Art (New York City), the Parrish Art Museum (Water Mill, New York), the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington D.C.), and the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota) are among the public collections holding work by Joe Zucker.

Personal life
Zucker lived in East Hampton, New York, where he moved in the 1980s after years in New York City. He was a volunteer coach for the Bridgehampton School high school basketball team. He was featured in a 2017 documentary about the team entitled Killer Bees, produced by Shaquille O'Neal.

Zucker was married to Britta Le Va. He was Jewish, and attended Chicago Sinai Congregation during his youth.

Zucker's health declined after a car accident in 2022. He died from multiple organ failure at his home on May 15, 2024, at the age of 82.