Objects Department: Viola Frey
Associate Objects Conservator Derrin during the final stages of surface cleaning.
Self Portrait with Figurines, 1976 is one of the earliest self portraits sculptures created by Bay Area ceramicist and sculptor Viola Frey (1933-2004). The work is owned by Artists' Legacy Foundation (ALF), an organization co-founded by Frey whose mission is to award new artists and stewards artists estates including her own. ALF brought this monumental project, which has been awaiting conservation for decades, to our studio for conservation so that it can travel, be installed, and exhibited safely.
Over the course of her career, Frey explored a wide range of media that included ceramic, bronze, painting, drawing, as well as glass and photography. Frey’s work investigates concepts such as identity, class, culture, gender, power, and feminism. Her work challenged the notion of traditional functional craft in favor of expressionism that shaped the West Coast Funk movement in ceramic sculpture. Most notably she was known for her larger than life ceramic figures with colorful glazes and abstract patterns, often surrounded by objects of antiquity and collectibles that create personal, interior landscapes. During the five decades of her studio practice she taught at California College of the Arts, retiring in 1999 to co-found ALF in 2000.
In the first phase of this project, the tiles were assessed to determine placement against archival images provided by Cynthia de Bos, the Director of Collections at ALF. These archival images shed light on how the work has been modified and installed throughout the years, which in turn informs the treatment choices. We are fortunate when working with artist estates to have access to resources, historical information, and experts with institutional knowledge to guide decisions for long term preservation plans. We learned that the sculpture had been installed in several iterations of exhibitions, as well as at Frey’s studio where it stood in her garden. The individual tiles were sorted and placed in the proper orientation while being examined for changes. Each tile was then surface cleaned to remove heavy layers of biogrowth, and treatment including reversal of previous repairs, bonding breaklines, and inpainting was performed. The final result revealed a completely different palette of glazed colors. The next phase of treatment will be to stabilize the monumental ceramic figure so it stands vertically, supported by a custom mount and surrounded with the newly conserved tiles. Keep an eye out for updates on this project as it transforms for exhibition.
Archival images courtesy Artist Legacy Foundation.
Tiles before and after treatment
