It is the first major solo exhibition of the »Queen of Pop Art« in Europe: The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humblebæk, Denmark, presents Marisol, a radical artist of the 1960s who was quickly forgotten. The show opens on October 1.
She was an art star of the 1960s, but plays only a minor role in art history: Marisol (1930-2016) was one of the most radical and visionary artists of her generation. Known as the »Queen and King of Pop Art« together with her friend Andy Warhol, she distinguished herself with a completely new approach: The painter, sculptor, and object artist combined pre-Columbian art and pop art to create satirical works on all aspects of human life, including the boom of American consumer society with its global influence. Marisol often included herself in her work and was an early proponent of issues that are still relevant today, such as gender roles and equality. Around 1970, Marisol withdrew from the art world and her work quickly fell into oblivion. Following several major exhibitions in the USA, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is now hosting the artist's first comprehensive solo show in Europe. Marisol was created in collaboration with the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien and the Kunsthaus Zürich. It runs from October 1, 2025, to February 22, 2026.
Marisol, born María Sol Escobar, was born in Paris to Venezuelan parents. From 1950 until her death, she lived mainly in New York, where she played a leading role in the experimental art scene of the 1960s. She is particularly known for her installations featuring almost life-size human figures made of wood and found objects, in which she questions the traditions and rules of human society. Shortly before her retirement from art, she participated in the 4th documenta in Kassel and the Venice Biennale in 1968. She resumed her artistic career in 1981, but was unable to repeat her earlier successes. One of her best-known commissioned works is the sculpture Father Damien (1969) in the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu, dedicated to the missionary Damien de Veuster, the patron saint of lepers.
She is a national heroine in Finland, but has only become known internationally in recent years: Helene Schjerfbeck fascinates with her original, simple style. For the first time, a major museum in the USA is presenting her work: Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck opens on December 5 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
From November 13 to 30, the Fremantle Biennale took place in Australia near Perth, focusing on site-specific contemporary art. Among the exhibiting artists was Raki Nikahetiya with a sensory installation about the intertwining of identity, displacement, and home.
