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Carmen Herrera — Untitled
Carmen Herrera

Untitled

2011

This 2011 acrylic on paper distills Carmen Herrera's lifelong pursuit of geometric economy into a work of striking formal precision. Hard-edged forms meet radiantly contrasting chromatic planes across a compact sheet, demonstrating what the New York Times described as "a vertiginously geometric way of making very little do a lot." At 38.1 × 52.7 cm, the work is intimate in scale yet commanding in presence, its clean lines and resolved compositional logic the product of a practice shaped equally by architectural training and a sustained commitment to reduction. The piece is signed by the artist, adding further significance to an already meaningful example of her work on paper. Herrera's recognition came later than it should have. The Cuban-American artist made her first commercial sale in 2004 at age 89, and it was not until 2016 that a major survey at the Whitney Museum of American Art brought her the institutional acknowledgment long overdue. Yet the work itself has never wavered. Now well past her centennial, Herrera continues producing compositions governed by the same clear, unwavering principles visible in this 2011 piece. Her paintings and works on paper are held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate in London, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., among other leading collections worldwide. For a collector, this work offers direct access to a mature phase of a career that has become one of the most compelling stories in twentieth and twenty-first century abstraction.

Medium
Acrylic on paper
Overall
Signed
Yes

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About this work

Carmen Herrera, Untitled, 2011

This 2011 acrylic on paper distills Carmen Herrera's lifelong pursuit of geometric economy into a work of striking formal precision. Hard-edged forms meet radiantly contrasting chromatic planes across a compact sheet, demonstrating what the New York Times described as "a vertiginously geometric way of making very little do a lot." At 38.1 × 52.7 cm, the work is intimate in scale yet commanding in presence, its clean lines and resolved compositional logic the product of a practice shaped equally by architectural training and a sustained commitment to reduction. The piece is signed by the artist, adding further significance to an already meaningful example of her work on paper. Herrera's recognition came later than it should have. The Cuban-American artist made her first commercial sale in 2004 at age 89, and it was not until 2016 that a major survey at the Whitney Museum of American Art brought her the institutional acknowledgment long overdue. Yet the work itself has never wavered. Now well past her centennial, Herrera continues producing compositions governed by the same clear, unwavering principles visible in this 2011 piece. Her paintings and works on paper are held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate in London, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., among other leading collections worldwide. For a collector, this work offers direct access to a mature phase of a career that has become one of the most compelling stories in twentieth and twenty-first century abstraction.

Medium
Acrylic on paper
Dimensions
overall: 38.1 x 52.7 cm
Year
2011
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Independent Curators International (ICI) Benefit Auction

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Collected by

Alex Capecelatro