Hauser & Wirth have announced the passing of New York-based artist Pat Steir, shortly before her 88th birthday.

One of the great innovators across contemporary painting, drawing and printmaking, Steir rose to prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s for her iconographic canvases and immersive installations. She gained critical acclaim for her inventive approach to painting, including the rigorous pouring technique she developed for her Waterfall series, in which she harnessed gravity and gesture to achieve works of remarkable lyricism.

Steir is survived by her husband Joost Elffers and niece Lily Sukoneck-Cohen.

photo: Grace Roselli