Must See Art

Mary Heilmann, Tourmaline (1992)

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More About

• Mary Heilmann
• Orange County Museum of Art
• Stephen Cohen

Mary Heilmann’s “To Be Someone” at the Orange County Museum of Art

This is the last week to see the incredible tour de force that is the Mary Heilmann retrospective. Although she is one of the most influential contemporary abstract painters, many MFA students seem unaware of her — even though they are making work that is directly related to hers — and Heilmann still doesn’t have a Wikipedia entry. Yet she was one of the first painters to merge abstraction, popular culture and memory, and this is a rare opportunity to see 75 works culled from 30 years of painting — from the early ’70s until now.

850 San Clemente Dr., Newport Beach | www.ocma.net | (949) 759-1122 | Through August 26

Tony Mendoza’s “Flowers” at Stephen Cohen Gallery

Tony Mendoza is best known for his black-and-white photos of his cat Ernie. Mendoza made it a daily practice to get down on the floor, creating a shift in scale and perspective in relation to his feline companion, with humorous results. For his new digital series, “Flowers,” he uses a similar low vantage point to create a more serious tone. The blossoms and greenery in these new photos are often shot against a dramatic sky, where the colored petals are illuminated in the foreground and it looks as if they are towering high above us. In conjunction with the exhibition, Nazraeli Press has released a large-scale book, Flowers, that is available at the gallery.

7358 Beverly Blvd., L.A. | www.stephencohengallery.com | (323) 937-5525 | Through September 1