Obituary
“My inspiration for art doesn’t really come from the history of painting,” the artist told Hyperallergic in a 2013 interview, “it comes from the community of art as it is now.”
Mary Heilmann, a trailblazing abstract artist who experienced a resurgence in her career after gaining worldwide recognition in her late 60s, passed away on Long Island on Friday at 86. The painter, who was based in Bridgehampton and Manhattan, succumbed to complications following a fall, according to her studio’s statement.
Initially a ceramicist, Heilmann transitioned to painting after relocating to New York, where she developed quirky, geometric artworks that brought a playful twist to rigid abstraction. Her method allowed vibrant colors to flow across her canvases, serving as a subtle commentary on the predominantly male artists whose serious works were prominent in Manhattan’s downtown art scene. Heilmann’s pieces have been showcased in exhibitions at prestigious venues such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the New Museum, Dia Beacon, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, the Orange County Museum of Art, the Kunstmuseum Bonn in Germany, and Whitechapel Gallery in London.
“My inspiration for art doesn’t really come from the history of painting,” Heilmann revealed in a 2013 interview with Hyperallergic. “It comes from the community of art as it is now, and also popular culture, like movies and music and books and fashion, especially street fashion, not high fashion.”
