Viola Frey

(American, 1933–2004)

Viola Frey was an American sculptor known for her large-scale ceramic depictions of men and women. Though primarily focused on ceramics, her glazing process showed her ability to work with abstract color relationships. “If you make it [art] based on what is stylish, or acceptably good, then you have nowhere to take it,” Frey once said. Born on August 15, 1933 in Lodi, CA, she grew up on her family’s vineyard, taking an interest in art from an early age. The artist went on to study at the California College of Arts and Crafts, where she graduated with a BFA in 1956. Two years later, after studying under Mark Rothko and George Rickey at Tulane University, she completed her MFA. The recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships and an American Craft Council Fellowship, one of her greatest achievements was cofounding The Artists’ Legacy Foundation with the artist Squeak Carnwath. Frey died on July 26, 2004 in Oakland, CA. Today, her works are included in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Viola Frey Artworks

Viola Frey (258 results)
Room #2 - San Francisco, 1963

Viola Frey

Room #2 - San Francisco, 1963

Sale Date: May 22, 2007

Auction Closed

Races- county fair, S.Q., 1963

Viola Frey

Races- county fair, S.Q., 1963

Sale Date: May 22, 2007

Auction Closed

Reclining nude (+ 2 others; 3 works), 1963

Viola Frey

Reclining nude (+ 2 others; 3 works), 1963

Sale Date: May 22, 2007

Auction Closed

Space chalice-chaplain, 1970

Viola Frey

Space chalice-chaplain, 1970

Sale Date: May 22, 2007

Auction Closed

Ceramic Jardiniere

Viola Frey

Ceramic Jardiniere

Sale Date: May 22, 2007

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1977

Viola Frey

Untitled, 1977

Sale Date: November 5, 2006

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1985

Viola Frey

Untitled, 1985

Sale Date: October 23, 1990

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1981

Viola Frey

Untitled, 1981

Sale Date: July 12, 2005

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1977

Viola Frey

Untitled, 1977

Sale Date: March 20, 2005

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1976–1976

Viola Frey

Untitled, 1976–1976

Sale Date: November 5, 2002

Auction Closed

Turbaned figure, 1973–1973

Viola Frey

Turbaned figure, 1973–1973

Sale Date: December 14, 1999

Auction Closed

Untitled (Skull and glove)

Viola Frey

Untitled (Skull and glove)

Sale Date: October 27, 1999

Auction Closed

Self portrait, silhouette, 1979–1979

Viola Frey

Self portrait, silhouette, 1979–1979

Sale Date: October 29, 1998

Auction Closed

PLATE, 1987

Viola Frey

PLATE, 1987

Sale Date: February 26, 1994

Auction Closed

LADY IN BLUE AND YELLOW DRESSS I, 1983

Viola Frey

LADY IN BLUE AND YELLOW DRESSS I, 1983

Sale Date: December 10, 1993

Auction Closed

Sleeping man, 1984

Viola Frey

Sleeping man, 1984

Sale Date: December 10, 1993

Auction Closed

PLATE

Viola Frey

PLATE

Sale Date: October 24, 1991

Auction Closed

Man, 1982–1982

Viola Frey

Man, 1982–1982

Sale Date: February 24, 1990

Auction Closed