Hayden Herrera papers, 1926-2006, bulk 1984-1997

Collection Information

Size: 14.8 Linear feet

Summary: The papers of art historian and author Hayden Herrera measure 14.8 linear feet and date from 1926-2006. Included are notes, interview transcripts, photographs, and sound recordings related to Herrera's writing projects, including her biography on abstract expressionist, Arshile Gorky. There is a 9.3 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2024 that includes notes and writings, printed material, photographs, interview and lecture transcripts, interviews on cassettes, subject files regarding artists, and photographs and negatives of Frida Kahlo, her works of art and others; and a zip disk. Materials date from circa 1970-2006.

Biographical/Historical Note

Hayden Herrera is an art historian and author in New York, N.Y. Herrera attended Barnard College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1965. While working on her PhD at the City University of New York (CUNY) she travelled to Mexico City where she was first exposed to Frida Kahlo's work. This trip inspired Herrera's thesis topic, which she published as her first book, "Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo." The book was adapted into a studio film, "Frida," starring Salma Hayek. Two years later Herrera published her biography of Arshile Gorky and was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.

Provenance

The collection was donated in 2020 and 2024 by Hayden Herrera.

Language Note

English .