Hero

MIMI HERBERT (b. 1936) is an American painter and sculptor known for her bold explorations of minimalist geometric forms and vibrant color. Her work distinguished her as a prominent figure within the Washington Color School movement in the 1970s, where she gained recognition for her unique approach to form and color working with acrylic sheets to make complex sculptures. In the mid-1970s, inspired by contemporary views on war and global uncertainty, Herbert shifted her artistic focus to the American flag. Herbert continues to explore the powerful emblem of the flag – reinterpreting the patriotic symbol beyond its traditional meaning and exploring the flag’s role as a visual symbol. Herbert’s distinctive folded acrylic sculptures, rendered in vivid colors and intricately twisted forms, embody new meaning with her flag motif.  At 88, Herbert continues to reimagine the American flag in her newest compositions as a gesture of optimism. 

Herbert’s work is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, The Phillip’s Collection, The Bruce Museum, the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, The Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT; the Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Gilbert and Lila Silverman Collection, Bloomfield Hills Michigan, the American University Museum, Washington DC, the JP Morgan Chase Art Collection, and in private collections in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Indonesia and El Salvador. She has lived and worked in the USA, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Brazil, El Salvador, Haiti and New Zealand.