Marisol (1930–)
Marisol (1930–)
Venezuelan-American artist and portrait sculptor. Name variations: Marisol Escobar. Pronunciation: Mah-ree-SOLE Acekoh-BARR. Born Marisol Escobar, May 22, 1930, in Paris, France; dau. of Gustavo Escobar (wealthy real-estate broker) and Josefina Hernandez Escobar; attended Catholic and boarding schools until age 11, Westwood School for Girls in Los Angeles, Jepson School, École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Art Students League in NY, Hans Hofmann's painting schools in NY and Provincetown, MA, New School for Social Research; never married; no children.
Noted for her use of multimedia assemblages and monumental scale, established her reputation in the art world following a solo exhibition at prestigious Stabler Gallery(1962); because of her mask of taciturnity, became known as the "Latin Garbo" and was famous for her long periods of silence; work brought to life people from all classes, from Family from the Dust Bowl to the stereotyped women in The Party to Britain's Royal Family; targeted political leaders for social analysis such as Lyndon Baines Johnson and Francisco Franco; starred in one of Andy Warhol's underground films The Kiss; other works include Babies, and The Generals (from 1962 exhibition), Lick My Bicycle Tire (1974), Pablo Picasso (1977), and The Last Supper (1983).
See also Nancy Grove, Magical Mixtures: Marisol Portrait Sculpture (Smithsonian, 1991); and Women in World History.