Women and Dog

MAXWELL ANDERSON: The four figures in this group of lifesize sculptures by Marisol are self-portraits of the artist. Attached to the wooden head of the woman with the green skirt and pink blouse is a black and white photograph of the artist. The two women with revolving faces are plaster casts of the artist’s face.

MARISOL: They’re a casting of my face. It’s plaster. They always come out different. But this is myself as a child, the small one.

MAXWELL ANDERSON: In 1964, the year Marisol made this work, she also created a sculpture called The Party, in which she plays the host and all of the guests, a work called The Dinner Date, in which she dines with herself, and in a work called The Wedding, she marries herself.

This playful spirit also guides her imaginative combinations of materials. In addition to the wood, plaster, and the black and white photograph, Marisol used found objects—such as the little girl’s pink bow or the handbag of the woman on the far left. And, of course, it’s hard to miss the taxidermy dog’s head. She particularly enjoys working with wood and continues to create sculpture made out of pieces she buys or finds on the street.

MARISOL: There’s no end to gluing and cutting and sanding.