Lewis Carroll Cohen, emeritus professor of art and art history at the College of William & Mary, died peacefully on Nov. 10, 2025 at his home in Santa Barbara, surrounded by his family.
Lewis, or “Lew” as he was affectionately known, was born on April 19, 1936 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Irving and Celia Cohen.
As a boy, Lew copied master drawings for practice and later began taking evening art classes at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
After he gained national recognition in a high school art competition, he met Harold Tovish, a sculptor and professor at the University of Minnesota.
Lew went on to pursue a lifetime career as a sculptor. He received degrees from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Claremont Graduate University.
In 1962, he received the Prix de Rome sculpture fellowship, which led him to work in Rome and Paris. Upon returning from Europe, he held academic positions at Boston University, Scripps College, Laguna College of Art & Design, and California State University Long Beach.
Lew joined the faculty at William & Mary in 1987, where he taught sculpture until his retirement in 2006. During that time, Lew completed two major public commissions: a sculpture of the Rev. James Blair at William & Mary, completed in 1993; and a sculpture of John Singleton Copley at Copley Square in Boston in 2002.
Upon becoming an emeritus professor, Lew was honored with a retrospective exhibition at the Muscarelle Museum of Art, “Five Decades, Drawings & Sculptures of Lewis Cohen.”
Following his retirement, Lew continued his work in the Matoaka Art Studio and his home studio.
Lew is survived by his wife of nearly 47 years, Adrianne Cohen of Santa Barbara; daughter Julia George (Richard) of Santa Barbara and their son Lazar; son Aaron and his partner, Marie, of Richmond, Virginia, and their son Paul; and sister Marlene Wolk (Carl) of Minneapolis. Lew was preceded in death by his parents.
A private celebration of life and exhibition of selected artwork will be held at a later time.
The family wishes to thank Angel, Victoria and Leslie for their care and support. They also extend their gratitude to the Center for Successful Aging Caregiver Support Group, Coast Caregiver Resource Center, and Senior Helpers of Santa Barbara.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to support the Studio Art Innovation Fund, which supports students and faculty that are concentrating on studio arts, at William & Mary in Lewis’s memory.