Abstract Expressionist painter Mary Abbott has died at age 98 due to heart failure, as confirmed by McCormick Gallery in Chicago, which represented her for nearly 20 years. Known for her colorful canvases and sweeping brushstrokes, Abbott was praised by the New York Times in 2008 as one of the last great Abstract Expressionist painters of her generation. Despite her early modeling career on Vogue covers and her immersion in the downtown New York art scene alongside figures like Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning, her work received little scholarly recognition until the 2016 Denver Art Museum exhibition "Women of Abstract Expressionism," which traveled to the Mint Museum and Palm Springs Art Museum.
Abbott's death marks the passing of a significant yet historically overlooked figure in Abstract Expressionism, highlighting the ongoing effort to recognize women artists who were pioneers of the movement. Her inclusion in the landmark 2016 exhibition and in Mary Gabriel's book "Ninth Street Women" helped bring belated attention to her contributions. Abbott's story underscores the broader art world's reckoning with gender bias and the importance of re-evaluating the canon to include artists who were marginalized despite their talent and connections.