Mary Heilmann
Looking at Pictures

Edited by Lydia Yee with text by Briony Fer & Iwona Blazwick
Whitechapel Gallery, 2016

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Description

Mary Heilmann studied ceramics and poetry before moving to New York in 1968 and taking up painting. A pioneer of infusing abstract painting with influences from craft traditions and popular culture--especially rock music and California beach culture--Heilmann is one of the most important yet under-recognized artists working today.

Mary Heilmann: Looking at Pictures explores the artist's approach to abstraction from two distinct but interrelated perspectives: the formal and the personal. The autobiographical dimension of the artist's work is clear in her pieces related to friendships, memories and places; while the formal aspect of her oeuvre is evident in her paintings of grids and squares rendered in primary colors and in works based on architectural planes.

As well as a new essay by Briony Fer and writings on key works by the artist, the volume features over 100 beautiful full-color illustrations of paintings, works on paper, furniture and ceramics from Heilmann's five-decade career.

Whitechapel Gallery

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