MAGALI HERRERA: COSMOS OF THE SOUL, RENDERED IN A TRANCE

IN SWITZERLAND, THE COLLECTION DE L'ART BRUT SHOWCASES THE WORK OF A LITTLE-KNOWN, URUGUAYAN VISIONARY

by Edward M. Gómez

With its presentation, through September 1, 2024, of the exhibition “Magalí Herrera: A Spark of Light in This World,” the Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland, the world’s leading repository and showcase of the creations of the most unusual, hard-to-classify artists, makes a strong case for the inclusion of its subject’s powerful, distinctive oeuvre in the canon of art brut’s definitive masters. Primarily organized by Pascale Jeanneret, one of the museum’s senior curators, this remarkable exhibition and its informative, accompanying catalogue offer a richly illuminating introduction to the life, worldview, and artistic achievements of the Uruguayan-born Herrera (1914-1992).

The Uruguyan artist Magalí Herrera at an exhibition of her work that took place sometime after the year 1972; venue unknown and photographer unidentified. Photo from the archives of the Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne, Switzerland; courtesy of the museum

Magalí Herrera came from a village near Rivera, a city in northern Uruguay that lies right on the border with neighboring Brazil. There, she was born into a prominent family and grew up in a richly cultured setting. She became interested in and taught herself dancing, acting, and photography; she wrote poetry and science-fiction stories, and organized poetry-reading evenings. Later, Herrera moved to Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, and in the early 1950s, she started making the occasional painting. By the 1960s, she had devoted herself to this activity, often working night and day in a trance-like state.