Mary Heilmann, Pioneering Abstract Painter, Dies at 86
Mary Heilmann, an acclaimed American painter celebrated for her vivid abstract works, passed away on June 21, 2024, in Riverhead, New York, at the age of 86 due to complications from a fall. Born in 1940 in San Francisco, she pursued ceramics at UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley, studying under Peter Voulkos. After relocating to New York in 1967, she began producing striking acrylic paintings. Heilmann made her debut at the Whitney Annual Exhibition in 1972 and honed her distinctive style throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Notable exhibitions included a solo show at the New Museum in 2008. She also taught at Stony Brook University and the School of Visual Arts, spending her later years in Bridgehampton.
Key facts
- Mary Heilmann died on June 21, 2024, in Riverhead, New York, at age 86.
- Cause of death: complications from a fall.
- Born in San Francisco in 1940.
- Studied ceramics at UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley under Peter Voulkos.
- Moved to New York in 1967 and began painting.
- First Whitney Annual Exhibition appearance in 1972; returned in 1989 and 2008.
- First solo museum show in New York at the New Museum in 2008.
- Long association with Hauser & Wirth; first exhibition there in 1997.
- Taught at Stony Brook University and the School of Visual Arts.
- Lived in Bridgehampton in later years.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- UC Berkeley
- Whitney Annual Exhibition
- Whitney Biennial
- ICA Boston
- New Museum
- Orange County Museum of Art
- Contemporary Art Museum Houston
- Whitney Museum
- Bonnefantenmuseum
- Hamburger Bahnhof
- Whitechapel Gallery
- Dia Beacon
- Hauser & Wirth
- Stony Brook University
- School of Visual Arts
Locations
- Riverhead
- New York
- San Francisco
- California
- Boston
- Houston
- Netherlands
- Berlin
- London
- Bridgehampton
Sources
- Dasartes —