Complications from a fall a week earlier caused the death of the artist, who gained broad acclaim only in her 60s.
Heilmann became known for brightly colored, deliberately off-kilter abstract paintings that mocked the geometric precision of Minimalism with wobbly lines and skewed grids.
Originally trained as a ceramist, she also brought glaze-like drips and hot pinks and oranges into her work, challenging what admirers described as the macho dogmas of earlier painting.
Why did the art world wait until Mary Heilmann was in her 60s to finally celebrate her vibrant rebellion against macho Minimalist precision?
How will Heilmann's unique fusion of California surf culture and New York abstraction reshape the future value of her multidisciplinary ambient environments?