The League Mourns the Loss of Ric Ocasek

September 16, 2019
We are devastated over the loss of visionary musician and friend to The League, Ric Ocasek. We cherish the time that Ric shared with us at The Art Students League of New York and the warmth he expressed to our students and faculty. While Ric is best known as a songwriter, rhythm guitarist, lead singer of the band “The Cars,” and producer for bands such as No Doubt, Nada Surf, Weezer, Suicide and Bad Brains, he was also an accomplished abstract painter. As with his music, he was relentlessly dedicated to his craft over showmanship. For Ric, music and art were complementary; “The process of drawing is the same as writing a song. They both start with a blank page” said Ocasek. “I see art everywhere…art is a frame of mind.” Ric was a close friend of Michael Rips, Executive Director of The Art Students League of New York and will be deeply missed by the entire League community.

Pictured: Ric Ocasek with League Instructor Dionisio Cimarelli at the first annual Art Students League of NY [STartUP] Gala at Art Students League in May 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for The Art Students League of New York)

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