Celebrated LA Sculptor Honoured Posthumously

LACMA Presents Ken Price Sculpture: A Retrospective

One of the pioneers of Los Angeles’ fledgling art scene in the 1950s, Ken Price spent half a century devoted to his contemporary sculptural art, and in the process reimagined traditional ceramic design with his consummately original work. Born and raised in L.A.,

Price was one of the original embodiments of the now ubiquitous bohemian Californian creative ideal, with his bright and bold painted clay sculptures exuding both futuristic and indigenous qualities, and the heavy influence of the Latin folk pottery he discovered while surfing in Mexico.

At the time of his death in February this year, Price, along with lifelong friend and celebrated architect Frank Gehry, had designed and prepared a 50-year retrospective to be shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The exhibition is now being staged posthumously, and will run until January 6, 2013.

Reminiscent of psychedelic molten lava slumps, Price’s innovative and eye-poppingly-coloured pieces have garnered him critical acclaim, a cult following, and a firm position in the modern American sculpture narrative, yet they have not been widely exhibited until recently, and never on such a scale.

With an illustrated catalogue including essays by curator Stephanie Barron, various art historians and critics, plus a lengthy interview with the artist himself, this unmissable exhibition offers a thorough insight into why Price is widely regarded as having transcended ceramics to become a fully-fledged sculptural master.