Iwan Wirth, President of Hauser & Wirth, reflected, ‘Manuela, Ursula and I met Mary in the spring of 1994. We were introduced to her by the artist Patty Martori and we started to collect her work right away. Mary also introduced us to other artists she knew and admired like Louise Bourgeois. Our first project with Mary was her book ‘The All Night Movie,’ which is kind of an autobiography as an artist book, and our first show with her came along in 1997, with so many to follow. Mary was really our first love.’

Jessica Morgan, Director of the Dia Art Foundation, described Heilmann’s legacy: ‘Mary Heilmann’s work combined formal innovation with a distinctly personal and playful sensibility. Over five decades, she carved out a singular position in contemporary art with her daring balance of rigor and geometry with improvisation and gesture, alongside a palette of vibrant color. This approach has reshaped how we might think about Minimal or Postminimal art—once defined by a severe restraint of color and form. Mary brought joy, emotion, and freedom to her paintings and sculptures and we are proud to have presented her work at Dia not once but twice, recognizing the enduring significance and influence of her practice.’

Mary Heilmann has been celebrated in numerous solo exhibitions at institutions such as Whitechapel Gallery, London, United Kingdom (2016); Whitney Museum of American Art, New York NY (2015); Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany (2013); New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York NY (2008) and Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach CA (2007). Her ‘Starry Night’ series was on long-term view at Dia Beacon, Beacon NY, from September 2023 through October 2025. ‘Mary Heilmann: Long Line,’ a sight-specific installation comprised of a hand-painted enlargement of her 2020 painting of the same name and a variety of sculptural chairs, was on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York NY, from April 2025 through January 2026.

Her work is also included in many prominent international collections, such as those of the Museum of Modern Art, New York NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York NY; and Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany. Additionally, she exhibited at three Whitney Biennial exhibitions (1972, 1989, 2008).

The artist received the Anonymous Was a Woman Foundation Award (2006) and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. In June 2022, Primary Information published a facsimile edition of her highly revered 1999 memoir-monograph, ‘The All Night Movie’ and later that same year, Dia Art Foundation honored Heilmann at its annual fall gala in New York City. Mary Heilmann was the subject of the 2024 documentary ‘Waves, Roads & Hallucinations,’ directed by Matt Creed.