Mary Heilmann Untitled Watercolor Study, 1986-1988 Watercolor and pencil on paper 12.7 x 17.5 cm Hauser & Wirth

Mary Heilmann makes her return to Hauser & Wirth Zurich, Limmatstrasse, with an exhibition featuring over 30 works on paper created between 1975 and 2005. 

Expanding upon her New York presentation Daydream Nation, this show continues Hauser & Wirth’s deep dive into Heilmann’s decades-long exploration of drawing, coinciding with the release of the new publication Mary Heilmann. 

Works on Paper: 1973–2019 from Hauser & Wirth Publishers. Born in San Francisco in 1940 and raised in Los Angeles, Heilmann originally studied literature before earning her M.A. in ceramics and sculpture at the University of California, Berkeley.

 It wasn’t until her move to New York in 1968 that she turned to painting, developing by the early 1970s a vibrant drawing practice that continues to inform her art today. 

The Zurich exhibition presents a range of pieces—from delicate watercolour studies to stand-alone works on paper—highlighting Heilmann’s talent for transforming complex concepts into deceptively simple geometric abstractions.

 The show includes both rarely seen works and unpublished drawings, demonstrating her ability to bridge spontaneity and precision. Iconic motifs such as Fans, Chairs, Serapes, and Grids reappear, alongside pieces connected to major European museum collections.

 Among them, Untitled Watercolor Study (ca. 1983–1986) pays tribute to Piet Mondrian, echoing Heilmann’s M. (1985) from the Museum Kunstpalast. Similarly, Islands (1988), a large watercolor, was inspired by her oil painting Laurens (1986) in the De Pont Museum collection. The exhibition reveals Heilmann’s ongoing dialogue with form and color, where she continually revisits and reimagines earlier compositions. 

For example, Broken Study (2005) reinterprets the red, black, and white structures of Untitled Watercolor Study (ca. 1989), merging them with the net-like imagery from Blue Net (1991). Known for blending mediums and creating playful, immersive installations,

Mary Heilmann Untitled Watercolor Study, 1990s Watercolor and graphite on paper 26 x 17.8 cm Photo: genevieve hanson. Hauser & Wirth Request Pric

 Heilmann also includes ceramic “Spots” and sculptural chairs, merging painting, drawing, and design into one fluid language. 

Her drawings, described as acts of daydreaming, evoke memories, sensations, and cyclical reflections that shape her artistic process. 

A new accompanying publication, edited by Alexis Lowry, with essays by Jo Applin and Ilana Savdie, offers a rich, intimate look at this underexplored aspect of Heilmann’s oeuvre—revealing how her seemingly casual playfulness conceals a deep, meditative rigor and an enduring fascination with color, rhythm, and emotional geometry.

Mary Heilmann Untitled Watercolor Study, 1987-1989 Watercolor and pencil on paper 27.9 x 21.6 cm Photo: genevieve hanson. Hauser & Wirth Request P