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.