The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is showcasing the vibrant ceramic works of nonagenarian artist Magdalena Suarez Frimkess in her first major solo exhibition, “The Finest Disregard.”
This Venezuelan-born artist has spent over half a century subverting traditional pottery with her irreverent, cartoon-inspired creations.
Frimkess’s art seamlessly blends popular American iconography – think Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Wonder Woman – with Chilean comic characters and historical figures like Miles Davis and Martin Luther King.
(Creator: Peyton Fulford ) Magdalena Suarez Frimkess organizes her solo organization
Her unique aesthetic, both “serious and funny at the same time,” defies categorization, sitting between Grayson Perry’s ceramicism and Andy Warhol’s pop art.
Behind Frimkess’s lighthearted pieces lies a complex biography. Born in 1929 in Venezuela, she was orphaned at nine and sent to a Catholic orphanage, where her artistic talent was nurtured.
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She later studied under prominent artists at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Caracas and taught art at Pontifical Catholic University in Santiago, Chile.
“Mickey, 2004.” Whimsical and nostalgic or unsettling and sinister, Magdalena Suarez Frimkess is an anarchic cartoonist in clay, says this writer.
Museum Associates/LACMA
Frimkess’s early experimentation with abstract and surreal sculptures, including plaster-filled pantyhose, sparked controversy. Now, at 95, she continues to challenge conventions with her ceramic art, alongside her husband, celebrated American potter Michael Frimkess.
Exhibition Highlights:
- A full tea set featuring Looney Tunes’ Tasmanian Devil (2015)
- Vases adorned with likenesses of cultural icons
- Whimsical, nostalgic, and sometimes unsettling compositions
“The Finest Disregard” is a testament to Frimkess’s innovative spirit, showcasing her remarkable career and artistry.
