Mary Heilmann (American, b. 1940) "Blue Angel"

Provenance Note: Charles E. Balbach (1934-2024) was a respected Western New York civic leader, arts patron, and dedicated collector whose leadership left a lasting mark on the region’s cultural institutions. A graduate of Harvard University, Balbach combined intellectual rigor with a deep commitment to public service and philanthropy. He served for more than two decades on the board of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery), including a term as President of the Board. During his tenure, he helped guide long-range planning initiatives and strengthen institutional stewardship at a pivotal moment in the museum’s evolution. A thoughtful and disciplined collector, Balbach believed strongly in public access to art and in the responsibility of collectors to support the institutions that sustain cultural life. His legacy reflects a lifetime of civic engagement, connoisseurship, and enduring dedication to the arts.

Mary Heilmann (American, b. 1940)
Mary Heilmann is an American artist known for brightly colored abstract paintings, ceramics, and furniture that move fluidly between non-objective abstraction, pop-inflected imagery, and geometric design. Drawing inspiration from everyday visual patterns – such as window blinds and air vents – as well as film, music, surf culture, and popular media, her paintings often feature lattices and grids built up through repeated overpainting that intensifies color and surface. Trained initially as a sculptor, Heilmann began painting in the 1970s and frequently presents her canvases alongside or atop furniture she makes herself, challenging traditional presentation. Educated at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later studying at San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley, she has lived and worked in New York since the late 1960s. Her work is held in major public collections including Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Hammer Museum.