Viola Frey (1933-2004) worked in many modes. Whether it is her monumental figurative sculptures, her painterly plates, or her ceramic assemblage culled from trips to the flea market, she created intelligent and provocative ceramic sculpture. Throughout her work, she employed aspects of funk art and elements of social critique, and returned constantly to the figure, using it to explore a wide range of themes. Bright, almost garish colors and heavily textured surfaces are an indispensable part of her work, heightening the sense of urgency and tension each piece imparts. While her plates are highly autobiographical in nature, often incorporating aspects of her childhood and personal life, her large figures and assemblage pieces deal with universal themes of social interaction in an increasingly complex world.
Frey, who grew up on a farm and vineyard in Lodi, California, lived and worked in Oakland for much of her career. She moved there in 1960 after completing an M.F.A. at Tulane University in New Orleans. In 1965 she began teaching at the California College of Arts and Craf •
Viola Frey
Curated by Tony Marsh in conjunction with the Artists’ Legacy Foundation
December 2, 2023 - January 20, 2024
The Pit Palm Springs
CHECKLIST
The Pit Palm Springs is honored to present an exhibition of works by legendary California artist Viola Frey curated by renowned ceramicist and founding director of the Center for Contemporary Ceramics at Cal State Long Beach Tony Marsh in conjunction with the Artists’ Legacy Foundation. The exhibition will be on view from December 2, 2023 - January 20, 2024 at The Pit Palm Springs. There will be a closing reception on January 20, 2024 from 3-5pm.
A prolific creator and interdisciplinary artist, Viola Frey produced thousands of artworks during her lifetime. Most well known for her larger-than-life ceramic figures, Frey also worked in clay on a smaller scale, in addition to drawings, paintings and uniquely painted bronze sculptures. The Artists’ Legacy Foundation notes “Over the course of her five-decade career, Viola Frey (1933–2004) produced an impressive body of artwork, involving painting, drawing, bron
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Viola Frey
Viola Frey (1933 - 2004) was born in 1933 in Lodi, California, and died in Oakland, California, in 2004. In 1965 Frey began teaching at the California College of Arts and Crafts and touched many peoples' lives through her instruction, dedication and her brilliant artwork. She is well known for her large, colorfully glazed ceramic sculptures of men and women, 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 turned away from that medium's conventions to produce works with robust sculptural qualities associated with Abstract Expressionist painting, Pop art and what would come to be known as California Funk. Her work is now organized by the Artists’ Legacy Foundation and most recently had a major exhibition at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa, California.
Viola received her BFA in 1956 from the California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, California and did graduate studies at Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana. She has had nearly 50 solo exhibit