Esteban Vicente began making collages in 1949, developing a highly personal form of abstraction that combined the spontaneity of Abstract Expressionism with the structural legacy of Cubism. Using torn and cut pieces of hand-painted paper, Vicente treated collage not as a secondary medium but as “another way of painting.” His layered arrangements of color, texture, and form balance improvisation with careful composition, revealing a sustained exploration of light, space, and rhythm. Harriet Birthday, named after his wife, Harriet Godfrey Peters, the work was exhibited in Vicente's landmark retrospective of collage works, travelling from Institut Valencià d'Art Modern to Patrick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of Art. Vicente referred to many of these works as “concrete improvisations,” emphasizing both their tactile materiality and their intuitive construction. Early collages echo the energetic dispersal of Abstract Expressionism, while later works employ luminous geometric shapes and subtle tonal contrasts that create depth within flat surfaces. Across five decades, collage remained central to Vicente’s practice, accounting for a significant portion of his artistic output and serving as a vital laboratory for experimentation in color and abstraction.

Works

Harriet Birthday
Harriet Birthday
1978

Fairs

The Armory Show
Javits Center 655 W 34th Street
September 24 - September 27, 2026
Booth 202
The Armory Show

Public Collections

Blanton Museum of Art, Austin
Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente, Segovia
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid
Museum of Modern Art, New York
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase
San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Telfair Museums, Savannah
The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City
The Newark Museum of Art, Newark
University of Texas Art Gallery, Austin
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York