Charles Saatchi's collection opens to the public, arousing interest in Neo-expressionism.
Germano Celant publishes Arte Povera: Storie e protagonisti.
Archibald Prize: Guy Warren – Flugelman with Wingman
Turner Prize – Howard Hodgkin
Shortlisted were: Terry Atkinson, Tony Cragg, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Milena Kalinovska and John Walker.
Mai Dantsig – And the Saved World Remembers
Thomas Morandi – Yankee Champion (sculpture, Portland, Oregon)
Odd Nerdrum – The Cloud (Skyen)
George Rickey – Double L Excentric Gyratory (sculpture)
Sally Robinson (Australian) – Kakadu (screen print)
Wayne Thiebaud – Sunset Streets
Andy Warhol – Reigning Queens series
Helen Marten, English sculptor and installation artist
28 March – Marc Chagall, Russian-Belarusian-French painter (b. 1887).
21 April – Rudi Gernreich, Austrian American fashion designer (b. 1922).
11 May – Chester Gould, American cartoonist (b. 1900).
12 May – Jean Dubuffet, French painter and sculptor (b. 1901).
22 May – Wolfgang Reitherman, German-American animator (b. 1909).
26 July – Grace Albee, American printmaker (b. 1890).
21 August – David Olère, Polish-born Jewish French painter (b. 1902).
8 September – Ana Mendieta, Cuban American performance artist, sculptor, painter and video artist
28 September – André Kertész, Hungarian-born photographer (b. 1894).
17 November – Richard Amsel, American illustrator and graphic designer (b. 1947).
8 December – Paul Kelpe, German-born American painter (b. 1902).
Antonio Rodríguez Luna, Spanish painter (b. 1910).
1985 in art Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
