Influential American abstract painter Mary Heilmann has died at the age of 86 in Riverhead, New York.

Her studio announced her death on social media, saying she died on Friday from complications following a fall.

Heilmann was widely recognised for developing a distinctive approach to abstraction that combined influences from pop culture, craft and art history.

A Major Figure in Abstract Painting

Heilmann became known for challenging traditional boundaries within abstract art.

Her work drew on established movements including geometric abstraction, Color Field painting and Minimalism, while incorporating elements of everyday culture and craft.

Rather than following the conventions of those movements, she reinterpreted them with humour and a personal visual language.

Major Recognition Came Later in Her Career

Despite her influence, Heilmann’s first solo exhibition at a New York museum did not take place until she was in her 60s.

Her 2008 retrospective at the New Museum marked her first solo exhibition at a New York institution.

Art critic Dave Hickey wrote in the exhibition catalogue that Heilmann engaged with established traditions of abstraction while freely transforming them for her own purposes.

A Distinctive Artistic Legacy

Heilmann’s work stood out for its playful combination of colour, geometry, objects and references to popular culture.

Her ability to bring together seemingly different artistic traditions helped establish her as an important voice in contemporary American abstraction.

Her career also demonstrated that major recognition does not always come early, with some of her most significant institutional milestones arriving decades after she began making art.

Mary Heilmann leaves behind a substantial body of work that continues to influence the way abstraction can engage with everyday life, popular culture and artistic history.