Carmen Herrera

Born in Havana, Cuba, May, 1915.  Lives and works in New York, USA [1939 - 1948] Paris, France [1948 - 1953] New York, USA. Since: 1954.

EDUCATION
1943-1945 Art Students League, New York, USA.
1937-1938 Unfinished studies of Architecture, Universidad de La Habana,Havana, CUBA.
1933 ca. Studies of Painting and Sculpture with Isabel Chapottín Jiménez
Studies with María Teresa Ginerés de Villageliú. Free study, Lyceum,
Havana, CUBA.
1928-1929 Studies at Marymount College, Paris, FRANCE.
1925-1927 Drawing and Painting with J.F. Edelmann, Havana, CUBA.

SOLO SHOWS
2010    Carmen Herrera: Recent works, Frederico Sève Gallery/latincollector
2010    Museum Pfalzgalerie, Kaiserslautern, Germany, 23 January – 2 May, 2010
2009    IKON Gallery, Birmingham, England, 29 July – 13 September, 2009
2007    Carmen Herrera: Estructuras. [November 17 – January 19, 2008]  Latin Collector, New York, NY.
2005    Carmen Herrera: Five Decades of Painting. [May 17 - July 31]. Latin Collector, New York, USA.The Forms of Silence: Carmen Herrera Abstract Works 1948-1976, Miami Art Central, Miami, FL.
1998    Carmen Herrera: The Black and White Paintings, 1951-1959. [April 17 - June 28]. El Museo del Barrio, New York, USA.
1992    Duo-Geo. Two Geometric Artists. Carmen Herrera/Ernesto Briel [September 24 - October  6]. Jadite Gallery, New York, USA.
1987/1988  Rastovski Gallery, New York, USA.
1986    Two Minimalists Four Decades Apart: Carmen Herrera-Elizabeth Poverono. Rastovski     Gallery, New York, USA.
1984    Carmen Herrera. A Retrospective 1951-1984 [December 19, 1984 - January 19, 1985]. The     Alternative Museum, New York, USA.
1980    Institute of International Education, New York, USA.
1965    Cisneros Gallery, New York, USA
1963    Trabia Gallery, New York, USA.
1956    Carmen Herrera [January 30 - February 18]. Galeria Sudamericana, New York, USA.
1955    Exhibition by Carmen Herrera [September 17-October 12]. Eglington Gallery, Toronto, CANADA.
1950    Carmen Herrera. Pinturas [December 23, 1950 - January 3, 1951]. Lyceum, Havana, CUBA.

SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
2010    Negotiations, The Today Museum, Beijing, China [September 18 – October 24]
2010     Grass Grows by Itself, curated by Sima Familant, [July 15 – September 9]. Marlborough Gallery Chelsea, New York, USA.
2010    Then & Now: Abstraction in Latin American Art from 1950 to Present, Deutsche Bank, New York, USA.
2009    The Line is a Sign,Frederico Sève Gallery / latincollector, New York, USA.
2007    Referencing Alexander Calder: A Dialogue in Modern and Contemporary Art [Sep 29 -     Nov 15]. Eli Klein Fine Art, New York, USA.New Perspectives in Latin American Art, 1930–2006: Selections from a Decade of     Acquisitions [November 21, 2007–February 25, 2008].  Museum of Modern Art, New     York, USA..
2006    Abstraction: Presence of Cuban Painters in NY, latincollector, New York, NY.
2004    Concrete Realities: Carmen Herrera, Fanny Sanín, Mira Schendel [April 14 - June 10].     Latin Collector, New York, USA.
1996    9 Cuban American Artists [November 20, 1996-January 22, 1997]. Kingsborough Community College Art Gallery, City University of New York, New York, USA.Color: Contrasts and Culture [December ?, 1997- January 4, 1998]. Discovery   Museum, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA.
1995    Art-Exhibit and Silent Auction of Works by Contemporary Artists to Benefit FAITH Services [May 25-31]. Jadite Galleries, New York, USA.
1994    Cuban Artists: Expressions in Graphics [March 3-5]. Jadite Galleries, New York, USA.Cuban Presence [October 6-November 5]. Vista Gallery, New York, USA.Paper Visions V: A Biennial Exhibition of Works on Paper by Thirty Contemporary Latin     American Artists [November 2-December 16]. The Housatonic Museum of Art,  Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA.
1988    Cintas Fellows Revisited: A Decade After [October 1, 1988-January 15, 1989]. Main Library, Metro-Dade Cultural Center, Miami, Florida, USA.
1988-1990 El espíritu latinoamericano: arte y artistas en los Estados Unidos, 1920-1970   [September 29, 1988-January 29, 1989]. The Bronx Museum of Arts, New York/ [February 27-April 23, 1989]. El Paso Museum of Art, California/ [March 20-April 19, 1989]. Atlanta College of Art/New Visions Gallery of Contemporary Art, Atlanta, Georgia/ [May 22-July 16, 1989]. San Diego Museum of Arts, San Diego, California, USA/ [August 14-October 8, 1989]. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, PUERTO RICO/ [January 28-March 31, 1990]. Center for the Arts, Vero Beach, Florida, USA.
1987-1989--Outside Cuba/Fuera de Cuba. [March 22-May 26, 1987].
Jane Voorhees Zimmerli  Art Museum. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick/ [June 25- August 2, 1987] Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Arts, New York/ [October 16-December 20, 1987] Miami University Art Museum, Oxford, Ohio, USA / [July 15-September 8, 1988]
Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico/ [October 5- December 4,                1988] Center for the Fine Arts, Miami, Florida/ [March 20- April 19, 1989] Atlanta College of Art and New Visions Gallery of Contemporary Art, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
1981    The Big Picture-Major Paintings. Buecker and Harpsichords, New York, USA.
1975    6 Cuban Painters Working in New York [January 15-February 23]. Center for Inter-American Relations, New York, USA.
1974    Purism in New York City. Buecker and Harpsichords, New York, USA.1973    Women Choose Women. Women Inter-Art. New York Cultural Center, New York, USA.
1972    C.W. Post. Long Island University, Long Island, New York, USA.Contemporary Art Exhibition. Loeb Student Center, New York University, New York, USA.
1969    Graphics 1969. New York State, Syracuse, New York, USA.
1968    Five Latin American Artists at Work in New York. Center for Inter-American Relations,     New York, USA.
1967    Art Today. New York State, Syracuse, New York, USA.1965    New York Cuban Group. Cisneros Gallery, New York, USA.
1962    Geometric Painting, Classic and Romantic. Jerrold Morris International Gallery, Toronto, CANADA.
1953    Quelques Femmes Peintres. Galerie Olga Bogroff, Paris, FRANCE.
1952    Peintres de Paris. Salon d’Art Moderne. Zurich, SWITZERLAND.
1951    Art Cubain Contemporain [Février 28-Mars]. Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris, FRANCE.V Salón Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado [July-August]. Centro Asturiano de La Habana, Havana, CUBA.
1950    Exposition Artistes Francais et Etrangers. Librairie Morihien, Paris, FRANCE.
1949-1952  4ème-7ème Salon des Réalités Nouvelles. Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de     Paris, Paris, FRANCE.
1937    Primera Exposición de Arte Moderno. Pintura y escultura [March 23-April 8]. Salones del Centro de Dependientes, Havana, CUBA.
1936    XVIII Salón de Bellas Artes [January]. Círculo de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.
1933    Exposición de autorretratos [September 14-?]. Círculo de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.
AWARDS
2010        Women Together Awards Latin America for Development
1977-1978    Creative Artists Public Service Award (CAPS), New York, USA.
1966/1968    Cintas Foundation Fellowship, New York, USA.
FILM DOCUMENTARIES, MEDIA AND PRINTS
2010    “Later fame: The painter Carmen Herrera is a star at 94”, Alexander W. Rauscher for Culture Time, 3SAT, Swiss, Austrian and German Television, broadcast on Friday Jan. 22, 2010 at 7:20 pm and broadcast on Thursday Jan. 21 at 7pm, 1min.on the news, ARD. 2010     “Carmen Herrera” Tagesthemen, ARD German TV
2005     “A Series of Conversations with Carmen Herrera.”  Directed by Carlos Motta, USA.
2005     Five Degree of Freedom, produced by Tony Bechara, directed by Konstantia Kontaxis
1994    Artist in Exile: Carmen Herrera. color, 30’ documentary about the life and career of the artist. PBS, National Broadcast, USA. Producer/Director Ray Blanco.
1993    Cuban Artists Collection. Vol. II (Portfolio of Serigraphs). Miami Press Publishers & Distributors, Inc. Miami, Florida.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND PUBLICATIONS
-Carmen Herrera at Frederico Sève, The Brooklyn Rail, by Joan Waltemath, June 4, 2010
-Pintora nonagenaria exhibe en Nueva York, elNuevoHerald.com, by Miguel Rajmil, May 2, 2010
-Artist of the current issue:  Carmen Herrera, Le monde diplomatique, by William Werther, May 2010
-Elle Incontra Carmen Herrera, Elle, by Gini Alhadeff, April, 2010
-Carmen Herrera in Pfalzgalerie in conjunction with the Ikon gallery, Abstract Painting England, by Monk, March 30, 2010
-Carmen Herrera in the Palatinate Gallery Kaiserslautern, Artnet, by Jorg Scheller, February 25, 2010
-I became a famous artist at the age of 94, The Guardian Weekend, February 20, 2010
-From the old school, Die Zeit, review by Tobias Timm, February 2, 2010-The laughter of Carmen Herrera, Discovery of a great artist, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, by Julia Voss,  January 27, 2010-Shaping Up, Artnews, studio, review by Ann Landi,  January 2010-“Vendi mi primer cuadro cuando ya tenia 90 anos”, El Mundo.es/Cultura, review by Julio Valdeon, January 28, 2010-Un artista necesita el reconocimiento, ABC.es, review by Teresa de Miguel Escribano, January 17,2010-El largo viaje de Carmen Herrera, El Pais, by Andrea Aguilar, January 16, 2010
-El exito del anonimato, El Pais, review by Vicente Verdu, January 7, 2010
-Carmen Herrera (94) heibeste Newcomerin auf dem Kunstmarkt, Die Zeit Hamburg, Kreiszeitung.de, January 4, 2010-High points of the noughties, review of the decade, Guardian.co.uk, Observer, Sunday December 27, 2009
-At 94, She ‘s the Hot New Thing in Painting, The New York Times, front page, review by Deborah Sontag, Sunday, Dec. 20, 09-Carmen Herrera at Ikon Gallery, Art Nexus, review by Carmen Juliá, December 18, 2009-The Observer, The Guardian, review by Laura Cumming, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009-Reconocimiento tardio: artista de EEUU “descubierta a los 94 anos”, Nacion/aldea global, December 12, 2009.-Ikon, Birmingham, Arte Al Dia, review by Monica Espinel, December 2009-Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, Frieze, review by Isobel Harbison, October 2009-Ikon Gallery, Birmingham , The Guardian, The Observer, review by Laura Cumming, Sunday, August 2, 2009-Kartofel Graciela. “Carmen Herrera”. Art Nexus, No. 68, Volume 7, 2008
-Santiago Fabiola, “New York exhibit speaks to Miami’s heart”, Miami Herald, January 27, 2008-The New Yorker, New York, USA, January 21, 2008.
-Smith, Roberta. “Latin American Modernism, The Sequel”, The New York Times, Art Review, November 23, 2007.-Cotter, Holland. Bulletins From a Bustling ‘Undiscovered’ Land, The New York Times, Art Review, Pinta, November 19, 2007-Herrera Adriana, Pinta 07, Arte al Dia, No. 122, 2007-Morton, Julia, “Long Night’s Journey into Day.” New York Press, November 28 - December 4, 2007, Vol. 20, No. 48.
-Sullivan, Edward. Concrete Realities: The Art of Carmen Herrera, Fanny, Sanin and Mira Schendel.  HYPERLINK "http://www.latincollector.com/" http://www.latincollector.com/ access July 22, 2005.
-Glueck, Grace. Carmen Herrera: "Five Decades of Painting". The New York Times, New York, USA, July 15, 2005.-“Concrete Realities- The Art of Carmen Herrera, Fanny Sanin and Mira Schendel.” The New York Times, New York, USA, May 14, 2004.
-Vega Dopico, Elsa. “La razón de la poesía: Diez Pintores Concretos Cubanos” cat. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, La Habana, Cuba, 2003.-Henkes, Robert. Latin American women artists of the United States: the works of 33 twentieth-century women. Mc Farland & Cia, 1999
-Cotter, Holland. “The Black Paintings, 1951-1989.” The New York Times, New York, USA, July 24, 1998.
-Ponce de Leon, Carolina & Alejandro Anreus. Carmen Herrera: the black-and-white paintings, 1951-1989. cat. El Museo del Barrio, April 17-June 28, 1998. -“Art; color, so much the essence of what happens in a painting.” The New York Times, USA, December 21, 1997.  -Valle, Daniel del. “La presencia cubana en Vista Gallery.” Noticias de Arte, New York, USA, November-December, 1994.-Blanc, Giulio V. “The Cuban are arrived.” Art and Antique, USA. vol 15, December 1993. -Valdés Jr., Gustavo. “El color de la palabra. 32 Artistas cubanos.” Stet. Edición Especial, New York, Vol.I, No.2, USA, 1992.-cat. Duo-Geo. Two Geometric Artists. Carmen Herrera/Ernesto Briel, Jadite Gallery, New York, USA, September 24-October 6, 1992.-Westfall, Stephen. Art in America, New York, USA, March, 1989.
-Perazzo, Nelly. “El constructivismo y la abstracción geométrica.” cat. El espíritu latinoamericano. Arte y artistas en los Estados Unidos, 1920-1970, The Bronx Museum of Arts, New York, USA, September 29, 1988-January 29, 1989.
-“Carmen Herrera.” cat. Outside Cuba/Fuera de Cuba, Office of Hispanic Arts, Rutgers University, New Jersey and Research Institute for Cuban Studies, University of Miami, Florida, USA, 1988.
-Zimmer, William. “6 Generation of Cuban Artists at Rutgers’s Zimmerli Museum.” The New York Times, New Jersey Edition, USA, April 19, 1987.-Florez, Armando. El Universal y la Cultura, México City, MEXICO, November 3, 1986.
-Bujan, Juan. “Carmen Herrera en el Alternative Museum, una Geometría Avanzada.” La Voz Hispana. Año 8, Numero 347. Diciembre 27 al 2 de Enero, 1985., New York, USA.
-Neaman, Judith. “Carmen Herrera.” cat. Carmen Herrera. A Retrospective 1951-1984, The --Alternative Museum, New York, USA., December 19, 1984-January 19, 1985.
-Brenson, Michael. The New York Times, New York, USA., January 11, 1985.
-Garcia Cisneros, Florencio. “Carmen Herrera, Pintora minimalista.” Noticias de Arte, New York, USA, February, 1980.-Alloza, Fernando. Diario de Las Américas, Miami, Florida, USA, January, 1978.
-Luiz, Miguel. La Prensa, New York, USA., January, 1975.
-Picard, Lil. Kunstforum, Mainz, F.R.G., December, 1974-January, 1975.-Mellow, James R. “Art: Focusing on Work by Women”, The New York Times, New York, USA, January 14, 1973   
-The New York Times, New York, USA, January 6, 1968.-Kramer, Hilton. “Cuban Painters at Cisneros Gallery.” The New York Times, New York, USA, December 9, 1965.-Fulford, Robert. Toronto Daily Star, Toronto, CANADA, 1962.-Ashton, Dore. “Carmen Herrera.” The New York Times, New York, USA, 1956.-Genauer, Emily. The New York Herald Tribune, New York, USA, 1956.-Gindertael, R. V. “Artistes Cubains à Musée d’Art Moderne.” Arts, Paris, FRANCE, 1951.- cat. Carmen Herrera. Pinturas, Lyceum, Havana, 1 pp., CUBA, December 23, 1950-January 3, 1951.
-Lauderman Ortiz, Gladys. El País, Havana, CUBA, December, 1950.
-Oliva, Rosa. El Mundo, Havana, CUBA, January, 1950.

PRINCIPAL COLLECTIONS

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.

Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.

Tate Modern, London, UK

Hirshhorn Museum, Washington DC, USA

Cisneros Fontanals Foundation

El Museo del Barrio, NYC

Carmen Herrera was born in Havana, Cuba on May 31, 1915. She began her artistic studies at the age of 10. In 1930, at the age of 15 she spent two years in Paris at Marymount College studying Painting and Art History. She returned to Havana to study Architecture in at La Universidad de la Habana in 1935. In 1939, she married and moved to New York where she studied at the Art Students League. Together with her husband, Carmen lived in Paris from 1948-1953. During these years Herrera participated in the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles numerous times, in addition to exhibiting at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Zurich in 1951. She has resided in New York City since 1954. Her work is held in such important collections as: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes- Havana, Cuba, the Museum of Modern Art- New York, the Tate Modern- London, Hirshhorn Museum- Washington DC, the Cisneros Fontanals Foundation & El Museo del Barrio, NYC.