Anna MALSBERGER

Anna and I met in Boston in 2016 through a mutual friend in the Type community, and true to said friend’s suspicions we’d hit it off, we chatted into the night, I missed my train, and she offered me to stay at her parents’ home in town. We decided to do a little project to keep connected, daily blind drawings of flowers, over the next weeks. Needless to say it was the start of a precious and meaningful friendship.

I was moved by her creativity and big questions and the artistic vision and poetic way with which she was able to articulate and share the way she saw the world. The last time I spoke to her, I called out of the blue asking for reference photos of dead birds, faintly recalling seeing some she’d taken recently. When she answered, we had a long and delightful laugh about how it was so oddly and perfectly natural that I’d call out of nowhere with this unusual request, and how it brightened the day.

Much love to Jonathan and to Anna’s family. I miss her dearly and I am so deeply sorry for your loss.

Anna and I met many years ago in Rome when we were about 21. She was there perhaps just a few months, but she left a lasting impression on me, and remained in my heart ever since. I have thought of her often over the years and treasured the beautiful little piece of art she made for me when she left Rome, the quote on the picture still comes to mind every time I have a difficult decision to make – such a special and thoughtful gift. More recently, I was so impressed to see her work, it was a joy to know that she had found a passion that fulfilled her intellectual and artistic needs and that she was so incredibly successful. I was always sure that we would meet up one day and talk about the amazing adventures she had had since we last met. Anna, I feel the love and light you left in this world, it stays strong, I truly hope that this gives some comfort to your family, partner and friends.

Dear Jonathan and family and friends of Anna, I am thinking of Anna and all of you today. It is devastating that she died so young, with still so much life, and so much of her wonderful art and ideas to give to the world.
I have only known Anna for about a year, when she was interested in collaborative PhD project we were advertising (we being Kew Gardens and Goldsmiths Anthropology, where I work). We spoke several times and subsequently stayed in touch to develop a PhD proposal based on her previous work on seeds in Iraq. I am sure that Anna would have done fantastic work on this, and I would have loved to have done this together with her. I am very sad that this is now not happening, both academically and personally. I loved Anna's thoughtful and really effective combination of art, scholarship and environmentalism, and was always struck by how kind and thoughtful she was in all our conversations.

I am so sorry for the loss of Anna. She was a beautiful creative soul and when our lives crossed paths, mine was always the better for it. I will miss her humor and her friendship and her creative beauty. I am so glad to have one of her prints at home. Wishing her a peaceful rest.

Anna was a friend in high school. I have always remembered her fondly, and have loved keeping up in the way we have, seeing the art that she made, getting a look at the things that caught her attention in the world, the places where she found beauty. Her loss is a bright spark taken from the world and I can only imagine how much more devastating for her partner and family and close friends. My deepest condolences and I hope to be able to attend a memorial in Boston.

Anna was a wise, charming, creative partner for an exhibition in East Hampton, NY in 2022, and created this photo as a memento. It captures her gentle spirit so perfectly.

I worked with Anna years ago and thankfully became friends. I recall hanging out with her after work a long time ago when she asked me about how to photographically light seed pods. I gave her a few ideas and then a couple of years later started seeing her brilliant works. Was so proud to have contributed, even in the smallest way, to the tremendous success of Anna’s art. We saw each other in London about a year ago and had a lovely lunch in a cafe near her flat, assuming before her diagnosis. She was so easy to be around and so funny in how she constantly questions things in a back and forth way like she’s unsure. But she was so brilliant and witty. I loved how broadly she thought of the world. I will miss Anna dearly.

I didn't know Anna well but her warmth and radiance and sense of fun were obvious, as was the happiness she gave to Jonathan. Wishing you all love and strength at this very sad time.