Karen Lamassonne

Karen Lamassonne (born 1954, in New York) is an American artist. Throughout her career Lamassonne has explored a plethora of disciplines such as film, printmaking, painting, graphic design, video art, and music.[1] Lamassonne’s work is notable for reflecting this combination of several different studies, most noticeably that of her paintings having a very cinematic vision behind them.[2] Noteworthy works of Lamassonne’s all contain this sense of multifaceted technical skills put into them. A majority of Lamassonne's work contains motifs of sensuality from a woman's perspective, specifically she includes sexuality from her own perspectives and experiences.[3] Moreover, her signature combination of feminine-led sexuality and a frank expression of true life have led to both Lamassonne and her work being the subject of criticism via censorship.

Karen Lamassonne
Born1954 (age 66–67)
New York, United States
Children1
Websitehttp://www.karenlamassonne.com/

Early life and education

Lamassonne was born in 1954 in New York to an Argentine father and Colombian mother.[4] Her childhood was split between New York and Bogota, with Lamassonne residing in Colombia for the majority of the beginning of her artistic career.[2] Lamassonne studied the arts throughout grade school. Towards the end of the 1960s, while attaining her bachelor's degree in California, Lamassonne began to study under the artist Charles Garoian. Specifically, she attended Foothill College (1969–1971) at Los Altos, California at which she focused her studies on printmaking and painting. Later on, in 1973, Lamassonne decided to further her study of paintings by studying under the artist David Manzur in Bogotá.[5]

Notable works

Baños (1979–1980)

A series of watercolors which began in 1979, when Lamassonne left Europe to return to Bogota.[6] Baños is a notable series as it established Lamassonne's reputation as an artist who did not follow the typical rules assigned to her gender, since she chooses to explicitly depict her sexuality and moments of intimacy as a feminine being.[7] Furthermore, this series gained notoriety due to the censorship it received when it was displayed at an executive's gallery; during a meeting at the Galería del Club de Ejecutivos, one of the executives stopped a lecture and stated that "it was impossible to continue ‘if those obscenities’ (the paintings) were not taken down".[6]

Pura Sangre (1982)

This film project served as Lamassonne's film and video debut, specifically working as a production designer alongside Mario Cano.[8] Pura Sangre is a notable piece of work for Lamassonne as it not only heavily injected with her visual identity, but it also served as one of the pioneering works for the "Caliwood" film movement as led by Luis Opsina, the director of Pura Sangre.[9]

Secretos Intimos (1982)

One of Lamassonne's first personal film projects that she both produced and directed. This short features music from artists that Lamassonne listened to throughout her youth, such as Marvin Gaye and The Rolling Stones. "Secretos Intimos" shows a series of clips that all relate back to Lamassonne's signature explicit expression of her sexuality, in this case it is showcased in its relation to Cali, Colombia.[10]

Ruidos (1984)

Another one of Lamassonne's more well-known personal film endeavors, which also delves into Lamassonne's signature sexuality. This short also focuses on Lamassonne's sexuality in her youth, however it exchanges its Colombia setting for a more New York ambience; the city elements come through via her inclusion of very domestic images.[11]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Source[5]

  • Dibujos (1974); Bogotá, Colombia.
  • Eroticos (1975); Galeria Exposur in Cali, Colombia
  • Acuarelas (1976); Galeria Punta de Lanza in Bogota, Colombia
  • Baños (1979); Galeria Club de Ejecutivos in Cali, Colombia
  • Baños (1980); Galeria Finale in Medellin, Colombia
  • Baños (1980); Galeria Belarca in Bogota, Colombia
  • Pinturas (1989); Galeria Belarca in Bogota, Colombia
  • Pinturas (1989); La Tertulia Museum in Cali, Colombia
  • Pecados Mortales (1991);  Galería Arte Moderno in Cali, Colombia
  • Encuentros Rehechos (1993); Galería Belarca in Bogotá, Colombia
  • Encuentros Rehechos (1993); Galería de la Oficina in Medellin, Colombia
  • Desnuda Astucia del Deseo (2017);  La Tertulia Museum in Cali, Colombia

Group exhibitions

Source[12]

  • Salon de Arte Joven (1977); Museo de Arte Moderno La Tertulia in Cali, Colombia
  • Acuarelas (1977); Galeria Piramide in Bogota, Colombia
  • Miniaturas (1977); Galeria Casanegra in Bogota, Colombia
  • Festival Internacional de la Peinture (1980); in Cognes-sur-Mer, France
  • Colombian Figurative (1990); Moss Gallery in San Francisco, California
  • Latin American Artists (1990); CSS in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Dissimilar Identity - Latin American New York (1991); Scott Alan Gallery in New York
  • Artesia Gallery (1992); Palazzo d’elle Esposizione in Rome, Italy
  • Artesia Gallery (1994); Palazzo d’elle Esposizione in Rome, Italy
  • MUJERES RADICALES: Arte Latinoamericano, 1960-1985 (2017); Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, California
  • MUJERES RADICALES: Arte Latinoamericano, 1960-1985 (2018); Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York

Collections

Public collections

Source[4]

  • Museo de Arte del Banco de la República in Bogotá, Colombia
  • Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango in Bogotá, Colombia
  • Museo de Arte Moderno in Bogotá, Colombia
  • Museo de Arte Moderno La Tertulia in Cali, Colombia

Honors and awards

References
  1. "Mujeres en el cine nacional VI: Karen Lamassonne". UNRadio. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  2. "In the First Person | Radical Women digital archive". Hammer Museum. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  3. Fajardo-Hill, Cecilia; Guerrero, Marcela (2017). "Latina Art Through the Exhibition Lens: Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960-1985". Diálogo. 20 (1): 133–140. doi:10.1353/dlg.2017.0015. ISSN 2471-1039.
  4. "Karen Lamassonne: the artist, her work and exhibitions". www.karenlamassonne.com. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  5. "Karen Lamassonne | Radical Women digital archive". Hammer Museum. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  6. Duque, Carlos (April 24, 1983). "Karen Lamassonne: cuando la pintura se mete al baño". El Espectador : Magazín Dominical (Bogotá, Colombia): 21–23.
  7. Creativa, Redacción Cali (2017-08-11). "Karen Lamassonne, la artista que dibujó la Cali sensual". Cali Creativa (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  8. "Productores". Caliwood. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  9. "La Tertulia estrena la exposición con la que Karen Lamassonne 'desnuda' a Cali". www.elpais.com.co. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  10. "Proyección videos 'Secretos delicados' y 'Ruido'". MAMBO (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  11. "Ruido (Noise) | Karen Lamassonne | Radical Women digital archive". Hammer Museum. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  12. "Catálogo Subasta Espacio Odeón 2019". Issuu. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  13. Rist, Peter H. (2014-05-08). Historical Dictionary of South American Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 437. ISBN 9780810880368.
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