is best known for her larger-than-life ceramic figures, which expanded the traditional boundaries of ceramic sculpture. Frey was one of a number of California artists working in clay in the 1950s and 60s, who then turned away from the medium's conventions to produce works with robust sculptural qualities more closely associated with Abstract Expressionist painting, Pop art, and what would come to be known as California Funk. Join scholars, critics, and curators as they explore the impact of Frey’s work on the changing face of ceramic sculpture and figuration today.
1955 BFA: California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts)
(with Robert Arneson!)
1957 MFA: Tulane University
(did not finish, moved to NY)
1960 - San Francisco
During this period, she produced functional pottery, wall plates, and ceramic sculpture, in addition to continuing a rigorous painting and drawing practice that focused on still-life, landscape, and figural compositions.
Pink Lady
1973
stoneware and glazes
60 x 19 x 19 inches
Untitled (Bowl), Flea Market Series
1972
stoneware with platinum and underglaze
16 x 16 x 3 inches
1975 - Oakland
She expanded her studio outside and study how natural light would interact with the commercial glazes that she preferred. As her figures became more colorful and increasingly taller—eventually reaching over 10 feet—her need for space grew. In 1983, as a supplement to the home and garden studio that she owned, she rented a 5,000-square-foot warehouse to accommodate the monumental works that she was building to challenge both the viewer and herself. In 1996 she purchased a 14,000-square-foot warehouse, where she worked until the day of her death July 26, 2004.
Man Balancing Urn
2004
72 x 77 x 73 inches
The World and the Woman
1992
80 x 142 x 75 inches
Double Self
1978
61.5 x 18.5 x 17 inches
How she built it?
To
build her pieces, she first allowed the clay of the entire figure to dry. The figure was then sawed into
pieces, each of which was individually glazed and
fired in a kiln. Once fired, the 100 pound (or more)
pieces were painted by her and then reassembled
into the final sculpture.
In contrast to their larger-than-life scale, many of the colossal figures that Frey produced were inspired by the artist’s collection of ceramic kitsch. She reused many of the forms of these much smaller objects in her work.
Kitsch - Something that appeals to the masses’ taste and is often of poor quality; excessive sentimentality, especially in the arts
Viola Frey's assistant, Sam Perry
http://www.violafrey.org/ceramicsculpture.html
http://www.artistslegacyfoundation.org/legacy-artists/Viola-Frey/biography.php
https://vimeo.com/51224165
Man Balancing Urn 2004
ceramic and glazes72 x 77 x 73 inches (182.9 x 195.6 x 185.4 cm)
Man Balancing Urn 2004
ceramic and glazes72 x 77 x 73 inches (182.9 x 195.6 x 185.4 cm)