By Carol Sims

NEW YORK CITY — Richard T. York died on Wednesday, April 2. He was 52. His funeral was held in Tennessee. (York was born in Nashville, Tenn.) A memorial service in New York City will be announced at a later date.

Mr He was interested in up and coming artists, too. Two shows this year were devoted to contemporary artists Dorothy Ruddick, a sculptor and painter, and painter Peter Lyons.

He founded Richard York Gallery at 21 East 65th Street in 1981. Just five years later he was elected to membership in the Art Dealers Association of America, an organization to which he devoted countless hours, both on the membership committee and as vice president. After about a decade in the business, Mr York added a second floor to expand his gallery. Richard York Gallery represents the estates of Joseph Stella, John Marin and Steve Wheeler.

During his more than 20 years as an art dealer, Mr York sold important works of American art to museums throughout the country, including “Petunias” by Georgia O’Keeffe to the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco. He also sold art to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, New York City, and many other institutions.

“It is a terrible loss to the field,” said fellow dealer Martha Fleischman, owner of Kennedy Galleries. “Richard had a wonderful eye and a great sense of style. You could see that style in everything he did, from the framing to presentation — down to which pieces were hung next to each other in exhibitions. You could see his sense of style throughout. He was extremely ethical and set a good example for some of the younger dealers. Richard took a curatorial approach to every show. He also had a tremendous personal warmth and charm. We are all very sad about this.”