Magdalena Suarez Frimkess

This book presents the work of Venezuelan artist Magdalena Suarez Frimkess (born 1929) and features a selection of her works from the ’70s to the present, including utilitarian objects, decorative figures and tiles. Her pieces are imbued with an equal sense of humor and dread. Their fragility and precarity increase the expressive power of these funny, outrageous, grotesque objects, which often seem as though they might collapse before our eyes at any moment. In her studio, one is likely to encounter figurines inspired by Japanese horses or vintage American cartoons; vases ornamented with patterns from the ancient Americas; and tiles, plates and cups decorated with flowers or scenes from her life in Venice. A trio of characters recur throughout her oeuvre: a distressed Olive Oyl, an oblivious Minnie Mouse and the savvy Condorito—a Chilean cartoon from the ’50s that is still very popular in Latin America. Frimkess affirms the wisdom of these cartoons; in her eyes, they are philosophers.

This is the first book on the Venice, California-based ceramicist Magdalena Suarez Frimkess (born 1926). Now in her 90s, the Venezuela-born artist is just now getting the recognition she deserves, with her work finding its way into the collections of LACMA and the Hammer Museum. Her unique approach to ceramics—incorporating cartoon characters such as Felix the Cat, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Goofy and Betty Boop as well as more traditional motifs such as landscapes, birds and flowers—has charmed a younger generation of artists such as Jonas Wood, Shio Kusaka, Mark Grotjahn, Lesley Vance and Ricky Swallow, who contributes an essay here. Magdalena Suarez Frimkessoffers a broad range of the colorful autobiographical pieces she has produced over her career. This book also includes a poster of one of her characteristic cartoon works.