Ann Arbor Times

The University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) will present a new exhibition, Both Sides of the Line: Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith, opening August 30, 2025. The show brings together more than 45 works by two leading figures in geometric abstraction, highlighting their decades-long friendship and artistic dialogue.

Curated by Dana Miller, an expert on Carmen Herrera, the exhibition features paintings, works on paper, and three-dimensional objects. It explores how Herrera—a Cuban immigrant—and Smith—a gay man born in Indian Territory—developed their approaches to abstraction independently while maintaining a close personal and professional relationship.

In 1964, Herrera and Smith became neighbors in downtown New York City. Their friendship lasted for decades and influenced their work as they challenged prevailing narratives in the art world. Although both artists faced barriers due to gender, race, and xenophobia, they continued to push boundaries in form, color, and line.

“This exhibition is a testament to the quiet yet radical ways Carmen Herrera and Leon Polk Smith shaped the trajectory of modern art,” said Miller. “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.”

The exhibition includes pieces from Herrera’s Blanco y Verde series and Smith’s Correspondence series. Their innovations are shown as precursors to movements such as Minimalism and Color Field painting. While contemporaries like Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly received significant recognition during their careers, both Herrera and Smith experienced challenges gaining attention for their work at the time.

Both Sides of the Line will be on view at UMMA until January 4, 2026. Afterward, it will travel to the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Massachusetts from February 21 through July 31, 2026. UMMA will also publish a fully-illustrated catalogue with essays by Dana Miller; John Yau; and Nadiah Rivera Fellah.

Lead support for this exhibition comes from Irving Stenn Jr., Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, Luptak Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts (https://www.arts.gov/), and the University of Michigan Office of the Provost (https://provost.umich.edu/). Additional support is provided by the Robert Lehman Foundation (https://www.robertlehmanfoundation.org/). Funding for the catalogue and programming is provided by Tony Bechara and the Leon Polk Smith Foundation (https://leonpolksmithfoundation.org/).