Ken Price

Ken Price: New Work

September 27 - October 31, 2002

Rebecca Ibel Gallery will present a new group of ceramic sculpture by Ken Price, opening to the public on Friday, September 27, 2002, and running through October 31, 2002.

The exhibition will include five small-scale ceramic sculptures. These abstract forms are built from fired clay and painted with multiple layers of acrylic. The incredibly high polished surfaces reveal layers of iridescent colors and transform the organic forms into glistening amoebas. These lively, fluid shapes conger up images of sea creatures, ocean waves and cartoon characters. Critics praised previous shows, describing the ways in which, "defined by ectoplasmic bulges, curves, swells and slurps, the new Prices simultaneously evoke Flubber, Chinese scholars' rocks, Henry Moore, baseball mitts, Favrile glass and the most exquisite razor burn e Aver." Another wrote that "his sculptures are delightfully zany, but they are also seriously beautiful."

A seminal figure and respected artist, Price has been known for his ceramic sculpture which straddles craft and fine art. Although his work has been considered important since the 1960s, there has been a resurgence over the past decade. "Not many artists start out good, get better and remain pertinent. Stuart Davis and Philip Guston are among the few, and so is Mr. Price." (Roberta Smith, 1999 New York Times)

Born in Los Angeles in 1935, Ken Price lives and works in Venice Beach, CA and Taos, NM. He studied at the Chouinard Art Institute and the University of Southern California where he received a BFA in 1956. In 1957 he studied at the Los Angeles County Art Institute before moving to the New York State College of Ce ramics at Alfred University, where he received an MFA in 1959. Along with countless gallery exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York and abroad, Price has participated in many museum exhibitions including the Walker Art Center, The Menil Collection, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and most recently, the much acclaimed "SITE Santa Fe's Fourth International Biennial: Beau Monde: Toward a Redeemed Cosmopolitanism" curated by Dave Hickey. This is the artist's first show with the Rebecca Ibel gallery.