Helen Gerardia papers, circa 1945-1988

Helen Gerardia (1903-1988) was a painter and printmaker who worked primarily in New York.

Gerardia was born in Ekaterinoslav, in what was then the Russian Empire, and immigrated to the United States to study under Hans Hofmann from 1946-1947. During her career she engaged in lithography and etching, while focusing on paintings as a medium. She was a participant in the abstract expressionist movement and during the 1950s shifted more towards the cubism movement. She frequently emphasized negative space in her works. Gerardia was a member of the Vectors Artist Group, and from 1967-1969 she was president of the American Society of Contemporary Artists. She exhibited her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among other places. Gerardia died in 1988 in New York.