Buffalo AKG Art Museum Hosts Monumental Exhibition on Marisol

As a devoted admirer of contemporary art, I am thrilled to witness the retrospective of Marisol Escobar’s extraordinary work at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Born María Sol Escobar, this Venezuelan American artist left an indelible mark on the Pop Art movement with her surreal, life-sized sculptures made from wood and casts of her own body.


Marisol, born María Sol Escobar, is the subject of an exhibition at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. This under-the-radar artist from the Pop Art scene, hailing from Venezuela and America, gained recognition for her bizarre, lifelike sculptures created from wood and molds of her own body. Her artworks frequently featured friends, family members, as well as renowned personalities like John F. Kennedy and Pablo Picasso. Among her most notable pieces is a portrait of Georgia O’Keeffe, inspired by photographs taken during her visit to New Mexico.

In 1966, she held a solo show at Sidney Janis Gallery in New York that drew crowds in thousands and brought her substantial commissions, such as a sculpture of Hugh Hefner for the cover of TIME magazine. Later on, she represented Venezuela at the Venice Biennale in 1968 and opted to travel extensively rather than exploiting her newfound success.

During the late 1970s, Marisol began creating portrait sculptures of well-known artists. These pieces were showcased in the 1981 exhibition at Sidney Janis Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery’s display in 1991. In the 1980s, her artwork tackled social concerns, while the 1990s showcased sculptures of prominent Native American figures.

In 2014, a reflection on Marisol’s art was held at the Memphis Brooks Museum, rekindling curiosity about her creations. Tragically, she passed away in 2016. At that time, Marisol bequeathed her vast collection to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, thereby designating it as the primary custodian of her artwork.

The retrospective is on view through January 6, 2025.

Buffalo AKG Art Museum
1285 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222

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2024-07-23 18:56