A long-overdue monograph on the playful, pop-inspired ceramics of West Coast legend Magdalena Frimkess

This is the first book on the Venice, California-based ceramicist Magdalena Suarez Frimkess (born 1926). Now in her 90s, the Venezuela-born artist is just now getting the recognition she deserves, with her work finding its way into the collections of LACMA and the Hammer Museum. Her unique approach to ceramics--incorporating cartoon characters such as Felix the Cat, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Goofy and Betty Boop as well as more traditional motifs such as landscapes, birds and flowers--has charmed a younger generation of artists such as Jonas Wood, Shio Kusaka, Mark Grotjahn, Lesley Vance and Ricky Swallow, who contributes an essay here. Magdalena Suarez Frimkessoffers a broad range of the colorful autobiographical pieces she has produced over her career. This book also includes a poster of one of her characteristic cartoon works.