Who was Carmen Herrera? Tributes pour in as Cuban-born abstract artist dies aged 106

Cuban-born abstract artist Carmen Herrera passed away at her Manhattan home on February 12, at the age of 106. Artist Antonio Bechara shared the news with The New York Times.Her death was also confirmed by Lisson Gallery, which has represented Herrera for the last 12 years. The art gallery will be organizing a solo exhibition at its New York space in May, celebrating the artist on what would have been her 107th birthday.Herrera sold her first painting at the age of 89 (Image via Jason Schmidt/Lisson Gallery)Herrera, known for her radiantly colored abstract paintings and sculptures, was born in Havana, Cuba, in May 1915. She enrolled with the Art Students League in New York following a year of pursuing a degree in architecture at the University of Havana. Herrera married a teacher named Jesse Loewenthal in 1939 and lived in Paris until the couple permanently moved to New York in 1954.Carmen Herrera exhibited her artworks at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris from 1949 to 1953, but made no sales. She admitted to facing impediments &quot;because everything was controlled by men, not just art,&quot; and began exploring geometric shapes, vibrant colors and asymmetry in her paintings and sculptures after she left Paris. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostDuring the 1960s, Herrera began sketching for her sculptural series Estructuras Monumentales, which was converted into three-dimensional sculptures in a presentation by the Public Art Fund at City Hall Park in New York in 2019. From 1960s to 1980s, she presented her work at several New York art galleries that included Cisneros Gallery, Trabia Gallery and Rastovski Gallery.In 1998, Carmen Herrera earned herself her first big museum show, which took place at El Museo del Barrio in New York and featured her black and white paintings created between 1951 and 1959. However, she made her first sale at the age of 89 in 2004. Her first solo show in Europe took place at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham in 2009. In 2010, she joined Lisson Gallery, which has its branches in New York, London, and Shanghai. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIn 2015, on the occasion of Herrera's 100th birthday, an Alison Klayman-directed documentary about her, titled The 100 Years Show, was released. In 2016, the Whitney Museum in New York staged Lines of Sight, an exhibition of Herrera's works which were made between 1948 and 1978.&quot;Raised the bar for the entire art world&quot; - Tributes pour in for Carmen HerreraPeople from various parts of the world started paying tribute to the artist as the news made headlines hours ago. Here are some tweets from artists as well as laymen who paid homage to Carmen Herrera.Stuart Shea@StuartESheaRIP to Carmen Herrera, a great painter who overcame so much to live to the ripe age of 106.11:17 AM · Feb 14, 2022RIP to Carmen Herrera, a great painter who overcame so much to live to the ripe age of 106.Joddys Tollinchi@JoddysMy goal as an artist is to be half as a bad ass as Carmen Herrera was, rest in peace you Goddess you!8:01 AM · Feb 14, 20223My goal as an artist is to be half as a bad ass as Carmen Herrera was, rest in peace you Goddess you! https://t.co/Rza69GzIiWChris V@vax2207Just want to tell everyone out there to google Carmen Herrera tonight and learn about her and her story. Discovered at age 89, she’s an artist’s artist, and an inspiration8:39 AM · Feb 14, 20221Just want to tell everyone out there to google Carmen Herrera tonight and learn about her and her story. Discovered at age 89, she’s an artist’s artist, and an inspirationÌmóleãyo♡@MetallicNuanceCarmen Herrera really was an inspiration. Passing away at 106, like death literally had to ask her permission. Regaining fame, on a much larger scale, at 89.What a woman. What an artist.1:26 AM · Feb 14, 2022Carmen Herrera really was an inspiration. Passing away at 106, like death literally had to ask her permission. Regaining fame, on a much larger scale, at 89.What a woman. What an artist.PainterPatriot@Mene_Mene_TekelOne of my favorite artists has died at the age of 106. Unrecognized until age 89, she inspires us all to keep on follow our own vision and to just keep on. RIP Carmen Herrera.1:36 AM · Feb 14, 20221One of my favorite artists has died at the age of 106. Unrecognized until age 89, she inspires us all to keep on follow our own vision and to just keep on. RIP Carmen Herrera. https://t.co/gTtepvaNMHRoko Rumora@rumorahasitCarmen Herrera dead at 106. Rest in peace, Ms. Herrera. You truly raised the bar for the entire art world. 6:03 AM · Feb 14, 202212Carmen Herrera dead at 106. Rest in peace, Ms. Herrera. You truly raised the bar for the entire art world. 😌 https://t.co/HegraJSwmYmichael spalter@michaelspalterRIP #carmenherrera you inspired, elevated and enriched our world.7:58 AM · Feb 14, 2022171RIP #carmenherrera you inspired, elevated and enriched our world. https://t.co/FB2uvooAnpmelissa m ramos borges@melissamramosb1REST IN POWER. Carmen Herrera 1915-2022. 🏻🏼🏽🏾🏿6:09 AM · Feb 14, 2022176REST IN POWER. Carmen Herrera 1915-2022. ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 https://t.co/ZQ0jeRcshiDeborah Solomon@deborahsoloR.I.P. Carmen Herrera, the Cuban-born abstract painter who has died at age 106 in New York, and whose “Amarillo Dos” (1971) reminds us that perfection sometimes lies in imperfectly matched forms. 7:25 AM · Feb 14, 202226737R.I.P. Carmen Herrera, the Cuban-born abstract painter who has died at age 106 in New York, and whose “Amarillo Dos” (1971) reminds us that perfection sometimes lies in imperfectly matched forms. 🌿 https://t.co/5bmVcYoDwTKaren Rosenberg@RosenbergKaren“There’s a saying that you wait for the bus and it will come. I waited almost a hundred years.” R.I.P. Carmen Herrera. nytimes.com/2022/02/13/art…5:36 AM · Feb 14, 20225413“There’s a saying that you wait for the bus and it will come. I waited almost a hundred years.” R.I.P. Carmen Herrera. nytimes.com/2022/02/13/art…Carmen Herrera’s artworks can also be observed in several other museums that include the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis as well as the Hirshhorn Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington.

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