The Leon Polk Smith Foundation is thrilled to announce Both Sides of the Line: Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith, a groundbreaking exhibition at the University of Michigan Museum of Art that unites two of the 20th century’s most visionary abstract artists.
Opening August 30, 2025, and running through January 4, 2026, this historic exhibition marks the first time the work of Carmen Herrera (1915-2022) and Leon Polk Smith (1906-1996) has been presented side-by-side at this scale—a remarkable milestone given their decades-long friendship and creative dialogue.
Friends, Neighbors, and Visionaries
Herrera and Smith were more than contemporaries; they were neighbors in New York City and close friends who shared a profound artistic vision. Through more than 45 works, including paintings, works on paper, and three-dimensional objects, Both Sides of the Line examines the dynamic relationship between Herrera’s crisp lines and bold colors and Smith’s sweeping curves and expansive forms.
Born in Cuba, Herrera navigated an art world that often marginalized her contributions, while Smith, a gay man born in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), similarly pushed against the boundaries of a system that never fully recognized his pioneering work. Their paths, distinct yet parallel, reveal a shared commitment to redefining the visual language of modern art.
A Long-Overdue Recognition
Despite creating work that prefigured movements like Minimalism and Color Field painting, both artists continually faced systemic barriers based on gender, race, and xenophobia—even as contemporaries like Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly gained international acclaim. This exhibition, organized by UMMA and curated by Dana Miller, offers new ways to understand their contributions to abstraction, identity, and the power of creative friendship.
The exhibition explores how these two artists’ perspectives intersect, diverge, and resonate—from iconic works in Herrera’s Blanco y Verde series to Smith’s Correspondence and Constellation series. Their innovative approaches to form, color, and space continue to influence contemporary art today.
Exhibition Details & Travel
Both Sides of the Line is free and open to the public at the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s Taubman I Gallery from August 30, 2025, through January 4, 2026. The exhibition will then travel to the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Massachusetts, where it will be on view from February 21 through July 31, 2026.
A comprehensive 116-page exhibition catalog featuring essays by Dana Miller, Nadiah Rivera Fellah, and John Yau accompanies the exhibition and is available through the UMMA Shop.
Visiting Information
University of Michigan Museum of Art
525 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Free admission
For more information about the exhibition, visit UMMA’s website.