Carmen Herrera and Leon Polk Smith, trailblazers of geometric abstraction, exhibited together for first time
Leon Polk Smith, “Six Involvements in One”, 1966 (recto of “Seven Involvements in One”, 1966), acrylic on canvas mounted on wood panel, 6 panels: 86 5/8 × 157 1/2 × 1 5/8 inches overall, Private collection. Image courtesy Lisson Gallery, © Leon Polk Smith Foundation
The University of Michigan Museum of Art will bring “Both Sides of the Line: Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith,” an exhibition uniting two of the 20th century’s most visionary abstract artists, to Ann Arbor next month.
Despite a decades-long friendship between the artists, the UMMA exhibition marks the first examination of their work side by side, offering a profound exploration of their intertwined legacies and shared impact on American abstraction.
Neighbors, friends and pioneers of geometric abstraction, Herrera (1915-2022) and Smith (1906-1990) often explored similar themes of form, color and space.
Curated by Dana Miller, an expert on the work of Carmen Herrera, the exhibition brings together more than 45 works, including paintings, works on paper and 3D objects, tracing the independent artistic developments and the dialogue between the two artists.
Despite their different backgrounds—Herrera, a Cuban immigrant, and Smith, a gay man born in Indian Territory—their approaches to abstraction intersected and diverged in dynamic ways.
A personal and professional dialogue
In 1964, Herrera and Smith became neighbors in New York City, forging a friendship and creative exchange that lasted decades. While Herrera’s art was frequently relegated to exhibitions devoted to Cuban or female artists, and Smith’s work was sometimes neglected in favor of other male contemporaries, their shared commitment to abstraction challenged dominant artistic narratives.
Together, their work illuminates how two artists pushed the boundaries of form, color and line in ways that remain deeply relevant today.
“This exhibition is a testament to the quiet yet radical ways Carmen Herrera and Leon Polk Smith shaped the trajectory of modern art,” Miller said. “Despite their vastly different backgrounds, they shared a profound friendship and artistic dialogue that shaped their approaches to abstraction. This exhibition not only celebrates their friendship, but examines their contributions to American modernism in aspects that have been overlooked for far too long.”
Through iconic works like those from Herrera’s “Blanco y Verde” series and Smith’s “Correspondence” series, the exhibition showcases how their artistic innovations prefigured movements like Minimalism and Color Field painting.
Yet, as contemporaries like Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly gained international acclaim, Herrera and Smith continually faced the systemic barriers of gender, race and xenophobia. While Smith did achieve modest success with sales and gallery representation, Herrera’s work remained largely neglected until her later years.
In 2025, Herrera became the first Latina in American history to have their art permanently collected and displayed in the White House. Acquired under former First Lady Jill Biden, the painting “Dia Feriado (Holiday)” (2011) is now hanging in the East Wing.
“Both Sides of the Line,” free and open to the public, opens Aug. 30, 2025, and runs through Jan. 4, 2026.
Story based on a news release from the University of Michigan Museum of Art
