Magdalena Suarez Frimkess: The Finest Disregard

Frimkess’ sculptural ceramics draw from an eclectic repertoire of cartoons and masterworks

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.