The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Mardi Soir

1973

Carmen Herrera

(American, b. Cuba, 1915–2022)
America
Acrylic on canvas
106.7 x 162.6 cm (42 x 64 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 2022.39
© Carmen Herrera
Location: 224A Contemporary Corridor

Did You Know?

Carmen Herrera did not sell her first painting until she was 89 years old.

Description

A groundbreaking abstract artist who worked for decades—with formal forays remarkably ahead of her male counterparts in the Minimalist and concrete art movements—Herrera’s work was underappreciated for much of her lifetime. For this reason, she did not achieve commercial success until she was in her 90s, and her first major museum retrospective occurred when she was 100. The saturated cobalt blue hue used in this painting is striking, and typical of the jewel-toned palette that the artist frequently used, off-set with black or white to create rhythmic compositions. The zig-zag pattern is indicative of the dynamism of forms, and movement beyond the painting’s frame, reinforced by the painted edges of her work. This detail entices viewers to the front of the painting, activating the three-dimensional space that connects viewer to object, and encouraging multiple vantage points. The title is in French, translating to "Tuesday evening." This painting is part of Herrera’s larger investigation of the affective qualities of color and how they relate to time and memory.
  • 1973–2022
    Artist's collection
    2022
    Lisson Gallery, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2022–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Miller, Dana, Carmen Herrera, Serge Lemoine, Gerardo Mosquera, Edward J Sullivan, Espinel Mónica, Dana Miller, et al. Carmen Herrera: Lines of Sight. New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 2016.
    "New on View.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 62, no. 4 (December 2022). Reproduced and Mentioned: Back cover archive.org
    "Remembering Toby Lewis." Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 64, no. 1 (2024): 33-34. Reproduced: P. 33; Mentioned: P. 34 archive.org
    Fellah, Nadiah Rivera. "Closing the Gap: Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith in American Museums." In Both Sides of the Line: Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith, edited by Dana Miller, 36-43. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Museum of Art, 2025. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 40, fig. 6
  • {{cite web|title=Mardi Soir|url=false|author=Carmen Herrera|year=1973|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.39