Death of the author of the first work of art on the moon

Paul Van Hoeydonck, born on October 8, 1925 in Antwerp, was a prolific artist, flourishing in sculpture, painting, drawing, collage and graphic design.

His most famous work is "Fallen Astronaut," an aluminum sculpture left on the Moon by the Apollo 15 crew in 1971, as a tribute to their fallen colleagues.

It was the first and, for decades, the only artwork on the Moon. It was joined in February 2024 by 125 mini-sculptures by American artist Jeff Koons.