Painted plywood
64.8 x 51 x 61.6 cm [25.5 x 20.125 x 24.25 inches]
Edition of 12 (available in four colours), signed, numbered and dated verso with engraved plaque.
About the work
For the Whitechapel Gallery, Mary Heilmann has created an edition of twelve Sunny Chairs to accompany her major exhibition Mary Heilmann: Looking at Pictures 8 June – 21 August 2016. The edition comprises of four colours (three chairs in each colour).
This group of sculptural chairs are part of an evolving series, which feature in her Whitechapel Gallery exhibition. In the context of her paintings, these chairs appear as objects, or three-dimensional paintings. Hand-painted in glowing pastel colours; mint, pink, chartreuse and green, these works form part of the mise en scène that Heilmann creates, offering viewers a place to linger. A chartreuse green or blue green play a game of mix and match with the paintings on the walls around them.
About the artist
American artist Mary Heilmann’s (b.1940) career spans five decades, from her early geometric paintings made in the 1970s to her recent shaped canvases in day-glo colours. Her work encompasses a range of mediums including painting, ceramics, furniture and works on paper.
Born in California, Heilmann studied poetry, ceramics and sculpture before moving to New York in 1968 and taking up painting, partly in response to the predominance of sculptors among her contemporaries. Her Whitechapel Gallery exhibition title Looking at Pictures is inspired by a section in the artist’s memoir, The All Night Movie (1999), in which she highlights the self-referential and autobiographical nature of her work. This display explores Heilmann’s formal approach to painting and abstraction, and considers the autobiographical themes that run through her work.
Selected Exhibitions
Selected exhibitions include Mary Heilmann: Looking At Pictures, Whitechapel Gallery, London (2016), Sunset, Whitney Museum Of American Art, New York (2015), Mary Heilmann & David Reed, Two By Two, Hamburger Bahnhof Museum Für Gegenwart, Berlin (2015), Mary, Blinky, Yay! Mary Heilmann And Blinky Palermo In A Dialogue, Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn (2013), Good Vibrations, Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastrich (2013), Weather Report: Drawings And Prints, Museum Ludwig Cologne, Germany (2010), To Be Someone, New Museum, New York (2009), To Be Someone, Orange County Museum Of Art Newport Beach, California (2007).
Whitechapel Gallery editions are generously donated by the artists. All proceeds from the sale of these works directly support our exhibition and education programmes. As is traditional in editions publishing, prices will rise as an edition starts to sell out.
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Works can be purchased with Own Art, allowing you to spread the cost of your purchase over 10 months, completely interest free.
Typical 0% APR. Subject to status. Terms and conditions apply. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Whitechapel Gallery is a licensed broker of Own Art loans. Registered address: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London, E1 7QX.
We work with contemporary conservation framers Frame London to provide the best framing options for your edition. Contact us for more information.
