Like many feminist-aligned artists in the 1970s, Faith Ringgold embraced collaboration as a politically significant part of her practice. Ringgold’s primary collaborator was her own mother, the fashion designer and dress maker Willi Posey. Mrs. Jones and Family (1973, also known as Mrs. Jones, Andrew, Barbara, and Faith) was created with Posey, who designed and sewed garments for many of Ringgold‘s mask sculptures throughout the 1970s. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Mrs. Jones and Family By Faith Ringgold→
Grrrr! We collected so many awesome and unusual Pink Things for this space at the recent NY Now show, but one of our most charming finds is this Pink Rubbish Monster, which is part of the Kruselings line of fantasy dolls for young girls.
In March of 2019, I attended a fun event-thing called the Barbie 60th Anniversary Pop-Up Experience, which was just insane. Imagine being wedged into a crowded labyrinth of bright lights, neon colors, and every type of Barbie-branded doll in the universe, including Gender-Nonconforming Barbie and Dad-Bod Ken. Now, add little kids with their parents, and millennial Instagram-whores, and you’re got an idea of the scenario that I consider myself lucky to have survived with my sanity intact. Still: super fun!
While I saw literally hundreds of Barbies that day, the one that I will surely never forget is this Pink Mink Stole-draped plastic goddess known as the Andy Warhol Barbie. Here’s why: this Barbie (the third such doll produced in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation) is the definitive celebration of Warhol, drawing inspiration from the original Warhol Barbie portrait created by the artist in 1986. Barbie’s strapless gown features a sweetheart neckline and an overall print of the Warhol Barbie Portrait (you can see a few details of Barbie’s face on the dress if you look closely at the above photo). Beyond the fabulous Pink faux fur stole with blue lining, the doll’s accessories also include blue pumps accented with glitter inspired by Warhol’s technique of “diamond dust” crushed glass on canvas, earrings, necklace, ring and doll stand. Rad.
Sadly I could not capture details of the glittery shoes, as Andy Warhol Barbie was encased in a vitrine, to protect her from molestation. The statement to the left of Barbie’s face in the above photo reads as follows:
Andy Warhol made his mark by creating images of American icons. Barbie was added to the list when Warhol painted her in 1986. The first Barbie portrait was reportedly inspired by Warhol’s muse, Billy Boy, a jewelry designer and member of new York downtown scene in the 1980s, who owned a vast collection of Barbie dolls.
Mattel launched the Barbie doll in 1959, but it was only in the late 1970s and 1980s that much of her wardrobe became a bright pink, known as “Barbie Pink.”Jeremy Scott of Moschino collaborated with Mattel on this Moschino Barbie (whose outfit is copied in fine detail from the pink leather ensemble seen below) that was available to purchase in the spring and summer of 2015.
Both the doll and the outfit above were photographed as part of the exhibit Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color, on view at The Museum at FIT in NYC Through January 5th, 2019.
Here’s another awesome Holiday Gift Idea for the art lover on your list who also happens to be a fan of David Bowie or Prince. Pay homage to Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie’s iconic persona from the early 1970s, or the late great Prince, with this modern take on Japanese Kokeshi dolls, which are customarily given as symbols of friendship. Each doll measures, 5.7 inches tall, is hand painted in vibrant colors, and is made of schima superba wood. Imagine the adventure these two could have together.
These cool little Dolls, which sell for $42 each, are available directly from the MoMA Design Store at the Museum of Modern Art, or online at This link!
