Marisol (Marisol Escobar), Gold self-portrait ring

Marisol (Marisol Escobar)
Gold self-portrait ring

The sculptural ring depicting the artist, with single-cut diamond eyes, sold together with a copy of LIFE magazine July 14, 1958 featuring an article on Marisol.
18k yellow gold
With maker's mark
Ring size 5; Gross weight 28.0 dwts

Literature: Jewelry as Sculpture as Jewelry, Newby Haspeslaugh, pg. 48. illuatrates similar piece

Born in Paris but of Venezuelan descent, Marisol Escobar (1930-2016) was an artist who explored many mediums. She is best known for her wood assemblage sculptures depicting human form. Gaining notortiety in the late 1950s, Marisol was a part of the New York City Greenwich Village art scene, exhibiting alongside Robert Rauschenberg and good friends with Andy Warhol. However, she forged her own way with her graceful and unique style. Difficult to classify, she combined strains of Surrealism, Folk Art and Dada, often portraying herself, as in this gold self-portrait ring, or people of influence such as political leaders and movie stars.

A similar ring was exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, in the 1973 exhibition Jewelry as Sculpture as Jewelry. Additionally, the original wax prototype for the ring (in the collection of the Musem of Modern Art, New York) was exhibited in the circulating exhibition, Jewelry by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors, 1967-1968; Hessisches Landesmuseum in Darmstadt and Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam.
Condition Report: Overall good condition with normal signs of wear. Marks: 18k.