NOTED BIOGRAPHER AND HISTORIAN HAYDEN HERRERA WILL SPEAK ABOUT HER NEW BOOK, ARSHILE GORKY: HIS LIFE AND WORK, AT BARD COLLEGE ON NOVEMBER 5 "Hayden Herrera has written the definitive biography of Arshile Gorky—lucid, persuasive, meticulous, intimate, an
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.— Hayden Herrera, author of Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo, will speak about her critically acclaimed new book, Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work, at Bard College on Wednesday, November 5. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is presented by the Art History Program at Bard and will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Weis Cinema of the Bertelsmann Campus Center.
André Breton called Gorky "the most important painter in American history," whose unique style is seen as the link between European modernism and American abstract expressionism. A survivor of the Armenian holocaust, he escaped to America and created a new identity, only to hang himself in 1948.
"Herrera is able to capture the grandeur and expansiveness of his [Gorky’s] personality," according to Andrew Solomon in the New York Times Book Review. "Gorky was a master at constructing myths about himself, and Herrera describes those myths and recognizes their power without buying into them. She is also a capable art historian . . . and this book gives rigorous and insightful . . . readings of Gorky's work." Solomon concludes, "The intimacy, whatever its source, has allowed Herrera to write with authority and a moving fond gentleness. Her book leaves you wishing that you had known Gorky."
Biographer and art historian Herrera’s books also include Frida Kahlo: The Paintings; Mary Frank; and Matisse: A Portrait. She lives in New York City. She has lectured widely, curated several exhibitions of art, taught Latin American art at New York University, and been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. Herrera is the author of numerous articles and reviews for such publications as Art in America, Art Forum, Connoisseur, and the New York Times.
For further information, call the Art History Program at 845-758-6822, extension 6676, or e-mail [email protected].
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(10.16.03)