Carmen Herrera

American, born Cuba 1915 - 2022

Over seven decades, Carmen Herrera created a suite of work focused on the power of color and geometry. Herrera made minimalist works that bridge painting and sculpture. Born in Havana, Cuba, the artist moved to New York City in the 1940s to study at the Art Students League. She eventually settled in the city permanently.

Herrera’s sculpture series Estructuras draws from designs she created in the 1960s. Many of the sculptures resemble her paintings, but allow her to use color and lines in three dimensions. Herrera continued to make new work into her 90s and passed away at age 106. While institutional recognition came to Herrera later in life, her work is now part of major private and public collections.

Explore selected works

This painting shows two large, bright green triangles at the top and bottom edges of the canvas, their points meeting in the center, creating an hourglass shape. Surrounding the triangles is empty white space.
Carmen Herrera, Untitled, 2013, acrylic on canvas, Gift of Funds from Glenstone Foundation and David M. Rubenstein, 2022.18.1

Untitled

Carmen Herrera · 2013 · acrylic on canvas ·  Accession ID  2022.18.1
In this sculpture, two vertically oriented bright yellow rectangles are placed side by side with a small gap between them on a plain white background. The rectangles appear to be angled, based on the shadows they cast on the white wall behind them. The left rectangle appears to have its top edge elevated and its bottom edge flush with the wall, while the rectangle on the right is opposite, with its bottom edge elevated and its top edge flat on the wall. The way they are angled is reminiscent of light switches.
Carmen Herrera, Untitled Estructura (Yellow), 1966/2016, Acrylic and aluminum, Gift of Funds from Glenstone Foundation and David M. Rubenstein, © Carmen Herrera, Image credit: © Carmen Herrera; Courtesy Lisson Gallery, 2022.18.2

Untitled Estructura (Yellow)

Carmen Herrera · 1966/2016 · Acrylic and aluminum ·  Accession ID  2022.18.2

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