Magdalena Suarez Frimkess

Magdalena Suarez Frimkess (1929) born in Caracas, Venezuela and is a Venezuelan artist who works in ceramics and is best known for her sculpture-like cartoon characters and advertisement artworks.[1]

Early life and education

Magdalena was redirected to an orphanage center at the age of seven after losing her mother to tuberculosis as her father was not able to provide Suarez financial stability. While at the orphanage center in Caracas, she discovered a joy for painting. She received her education at the School of the Plastic Arts where they encouraged Magdalena to have a career in painting.[1] She then moved to Chile when she was eighteen years old and met her first partner who remains anonymous.[1] After the birth of her two children, she attended Catholic University Santiago, Chile where she enrolled in sculpture and painting courses to reconnect with her artistic practice again after taking some time off to take care of her children.[1]

After Chile, she was offered a fellowship to the Clay Art Center in New York, NY where she met her husband Michael Frimkess who is also a ceramist and artist.[2] They both then resided to Venice, California as they collaborate and work together in their studio.[3]

Art

Suarez creates sculpture-like cartoon characters, vases, and mugs that often involve slogans and advertisements. One of her most famous works is of Popeye and Mickey and Minnie Mouse and other Disney characters. Although, most of Magdalena's work is small-scale, many people have pushed her to work in a larger scale. She enjoys making small objects and sculptures.[4] Magdalena's sculptural body of works were often viewed as dysfunctional during her time in ceramic school but did not stop her from creating these forms.[2] She also appropriates Aztec and Mayan imagery into her work of vessels.[5] Suarez works with her husband, Michael Frimkess who have been working together since 1963. Magdalena glazes each pot as Michael works in throwing pottery traditionally. They have had exhibitions together like at The Hammer Museum and many more.[3] Magdalena had her first solo exhibition in 2013 when she was 84 years old that took place at South Willard gallery in Los Angeles, California.[2] She will have an upcoming solo exhibition at LACMA in 2022.[6]

Exhibitions

Further reading
  •  Finkel J. (2014). Biennial’s Bright Young Things, Ages 77 and 84. The New York Times, New York, NY.
  •  Holte Ned M. (2020). Condorito Has Answers for Everything: Magdalena Suarez Frimkess. Mousse Magazine. Milan, Italy.
  •  Swallow R. (2019). Magdalena Suarez Frimkess. South Willard Press. Los Angeles, CA. ISBN 1942884516, ASIN 1942884516.

References
  1. Karlstrom, Paul (March 22, 2001). "magdalena suarez frimkess". South Willard. Archived from the original on March 22, 2001. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  2. "Magdalena Suarez Frimkess" (PDF). kaufmann repetto. October 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  3. "Magdalena Suarez Frimkess & Michael Frimkess | Hammer Museum". hammer.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  4. "a conversation with Magdalena Suarez Frimkess |". Kaufmann Repetto. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  5. Frimkess, Magdalena Suarez (2019). Magdalena Suarez Frimkess (First ed.). [Los Angeles, California]: South Willard Press. ISBN 978-1-942884-51-4. OCLC 1114870543.
  6. "Magdalena Suarez Frimkess biography". kaufmann repetto. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
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