Hayden Herrera (née Philips; born November 20, 1940) is an American author and historian. Her book Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo was turned into a movie in 2002 and Herrera's biography Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work was named a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.
Hayden Herrera | |
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Born | Hayden Philips (1940-11-20) November 20, 1940 (age 81) Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
Education | Radcliffe College BA, 1964, Barnard College MA, Hunter College PhD, 1981, City University of New York |
Occupation | Author |
Notable work | Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo |
Spouse(s) | Desmond Heath Phillip Herrera
(m. 1961, divorced) |
Relatives | William Phillips |
Herrera was born on November 20, 1940[1] to parents Elizabeth and John Phillips and grandfather William Phillips. Growing up in Vermont, she attended North Country School and The Putney School before enrolling at Radcliffe College.[2] After leaving Radcliffe to pursue painting, she married Harvard University alumni Phillip Herrera in 1961.[3] She returned to schooling and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College in 1964 and her Master's degree from Hunter College.[2]
While pursuing her PhD at City University of New York, Herrera travelled to Mexico City with friends who encouraged her to attend Frida Kahlo's art show.[4] She had not heard of Kahlo before.[5] In 1976, she wrote an article about Kahlo, which she submitted to a publishing agency, and centered her thesis around the artist in 1981.[2]
Following her graduation, Herrera formally published her thesis as her first book titled Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo, which was met with positive reviews from critics.[6] She subsequently published two more books in the 1990s; Mary Frank and Matisse: A Portrait,[2] which earned her a 1996 Guggenheim Fellowship.[7] At the turn of the century, her first book was chosen to be adapted into a studio film Frida starring Salma Hayek.[8] It was a breakthrough role for Hayek, who was nominated for Best Actress for the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award.[9] Two years later, her biography Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work was named a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.[10] Following her divorce, she married psychiatrist Desmond Heath and moved to North Salem, New York.[11]
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