56. Marisol
(1930- )
Born in France to wealthy Venezuelan parents, Marisol Escobar became a nationally
recognized painter and sculptor in the United States. She infused Latin
American and native American elements into the pop art movement of the 1950s
and '60s, using as her artistic name, Marisol.
In 1941, Marisol's mother died and her father moved the family to Los Angeles. As a
teenager there, she took an interest in art. She was extremely gifted and moved
back to Paris at the age of 19 to study at the prestigious Académie des Beaux
Arts.
In the 1950s, after graduating from the Académie, Marisol relocated to New York
City. She continued her art studies at the Art Students' League and at the New
School for Social Research. She immersed herself in the New York art scene,
which at the time was preoccupied with the impressionistic style of painting.
She studied impressionistic painting and became friends with other artists, some
of whom, like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, later became her
contemporaries in a new movement that came to be known as pop art.
Marisol quickly lost interest in impressionism and shifted her attention to the themes
of Latin American and pre-Columbian folk art. She quit painting and took up
sculpting, without any formal training, and began to incorporate elements of her
heritage into her work.
Marisol soon distinguished herself as an innovative sculptor who used a variety of
mediums, including carved wood, molded terra cotta, and welded metal. True to
the pop art movement, of which she became one of the most well-known
practitioners, her sculptures featured common, everyday materials, including
used and recycled items, which she incorporated with an imaginative flair.
Marisol also became known for her eccentric behavior. She produced a number of
self-portraits and casts of her own body parts. Her reclusive lifestyle contributed
to the reputation.
Marisol's success has spanned several decades. In 1967, the London Telegraph
Sunday Magazine commissioned her to produce satiric sculptures of the British
prime minister and the royal family. Later, she produced similar representations
of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson, French President Charles de Gaulle, and
Spain's Generalissimo Francisco Franco.
In the 1970s, Marisol produced one of her most famous works, relief sculptures of
some of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings. Her impression of The Last Supper was
praised by the critics. Marisol's works have appeared in, and been purchased for
the permanent collections of, some of the most respected museums in the world.
In 1991, she was honored by a display of her sculptures in the National Portrait
Gallery in Washington, D.C.