10 May 29 - June 4, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Popping Out The DMA offers a vibrant look at ’60s pop art powerhouse Marisol. BY KENDALL MORGAN E nigmatic, uncompromising, and unsung, Marisol is perhaps the most incredible artist you’ve probably never heard of. Now, with the subject of an extensive and enticing retrospective on view at the Dallas Museum of Art, that status is (at least locally) changing. “Marisol is an interesting figure vis-à-vis Latin Ameri- can Art,” says Dr. Anna Katherine Broadbeck, Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the DMA. “She was very much a New York-based artist and as influ- ential in the New York art world as anyone else. She was also a towering figure for crossover artists. In recent years, we’ve tried to expand and be more representative of figures like Marisol, who was so important in the 1960s but had kind of dropped out of the official narratives.” When Broadbeck learned that Marisol’s estate was left to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum after the artist’s death in 2016, she contacted her friend and colleague, AKG’s chief curator, Cathleen Chaffee, to see if the DMA could be on the roster of institutions to exhibit the work. This effort allowed Broadbeck a front row seat to what ultimately became Marisol: A Retrospective, an enlightening exhibition of drawings, sculp- tures, video and collage art that helps illustrate what makes an artist an artist — from cradle to grave. Born in Paris, France, to a wealthy Venezuelan family, the artist formerly known as Maria Sol Escobar was privileged enough to globetrot at a young age, exposing her to museums and architecture along the way. However, her mother’s suicide at age 11 traumatized her, which led her to not speak for several years. Eventually, she studied at École des Beaux-Arts and the Art Students League in New York before spending some time in Rome. By the early 1960s, she began taking the New York art world by storm. At the height of her career, Marisol was so popular that more than 2,000 people lined up around the block to see one of her gallery shows. Chaffee says the financial support of Marisol’s family al- lowed her the luxury of time to define her voice, which was influenced by everything from American folk art to pre-Co- lumbian and Asian Art. Called “the first girl artist with glam- our” (a back-handed compliment if there ever was one) by her friend and colleague Andy Warhol, Marisol became cat- nip for the likes of Vogue, Life and Cosmopolitan, who loved to shoot models vamping in front of her sculptures in de- signer clothes. “She was blessed or cursed by always knowing she wanted to be an artist,” says Chaffee. “Her rise didn’t start until she’d been in New York for seven years when (gal- lerist) Leo Castelli put her in a group show, then offered her a solo show. That show got a lot of attention, and she got overwhelmed by that attention — there was this feel- ing of not recognizing [the] version of herself she saw in magazines.” The retrospective exhibit focuses heavily on the artist’s monumental sculptures. The works are incredibly personal (many have her own or a family member’s face) yet still feel instantly familiar to the viewer — wry, sarcastic and tender. In particular, the 1965/66 piece titled The Party could easily be a snapshot of the Dallas gala scene of the time. Blockish figures dressed in gowns and costume jewels (some drawn from Marisol’s own closet) stand in uncom- fortable clusters while being waited on by a stoic butler and maid. Much like the artist’s works memorializing the Kennedy Family, Lyndon Baines Johnson and Pablo Pi- casso (also included in the exhibit), these satirical figures say more about the times they were made in than any polit- ical think piece. At the height of her fame, Marisol left the art world, though she eventually returned with a series of aquatic sculptures inspired by her favorite hobby of scuba diving. She also began collaborating with choreographers, design- ing props and costumes, and highlighting awareness of vio- lence against women through her work. This era may not have sold as well as she would have liked, but her expanding aesthetic illustrates how determined she was to pave her own path, regardless of what the art world wanted at the time. “She was extremely determined to do what she felt was right at any given time, but that doesn’t mean you maintain continuity in the public eye,” says Chaffee. “She has not got- ten written into the narrative around feminist art because people think she’s a pop artist, then she’s excluded from that canon [too] because people think she’s too folky. She goes against the grain in so many ways, but those are the figures that are most interesting in my opinion.” Indeed, Marisol’s ability to hop genres and forms means there’s something in A Retrospective for everyone. It’s very telling that on multiple visits to the DMA, separate longtime security guards cited the exhibition as the favorite show they’d seen at the museum during their tenure. For Chaffee, this is an obvious conclusion when viewing the work of such an ambitious talent. “She was one of the first artists of this century taking up women’s roles in society, and the way she’s doing it is with a critical eye and a satirical eye on society,” says Chaffee. “There’s humor, there’s irony, there’s work about women’s lives and about celebrity and media and all these aspects we haven’t seen represented in art. I also find her work ex- tremely poignant and moving — there’s something so relevant about her practice today.” Marisol: A Retrospective is on view at the Dallas Museum of Art through July 6, 2025. ▼ NIGHTLIFE HANDSHAKE AND STIR MEXICO CITY BAR HANDSHAKE IS COMING TO CATBIRD IN DALLAS ON MAY 31. BY ALEC SPICER W e’re obviously biased in saying that Dallas is home to some pretty great bars, but soon, it will host what The World’s 50 Best, which polls food and beverage experts worldwide, has hailed as one of the best bars in the world. World-renowned Mexico City speakeasy Handshake will take over Catbird in downtown Dallas for two days at the end of this month. Catbird announced in an Insta- gram post that on May 31, Handshake will offer a pop-up menu featuring some of the bar’s award-winning cocktails. The following day, June 1, Catbird will host a masterclass lecture featuring a Hand- shake guest bartender. The speakeasy is otherwise located in Zona Rosa, a neigh- borhood in Mexico City known for vibrant LGBTQ nightlife. Praised for its attention to detail and culinary art, Handshake has become known for its menu of expertly crafted cocktails that take the pretentiousness out of upscale drinking. You don’t have to be the friend at the table turning down your phone’s brightness to look up the menu’s curated ingredients, or be stuck with a drink you’re grimacing at with every sip. Hand- shake’s menu, while polished, kills the fuss with no-nonsense drink descriptions like “CREAMY/FRESH/SHORT.” Catbird hasn’t released a formal menu for the pop-up, but if you’re the token friend who has to look up the menu before arriving anywhere, here’s a quick look at some of the cocktails you might get to savor. Once Upon a Time in Oaxaca An homage to Mexican master distillers, this drink has be- come a mascot of sorts for Handshake. Topped with a cluster of steel wool that is ignited with a flame, Once Upon a Time in Oaxaca is an infusion of mezcal, mint and lemon absinthe. If this is on that pop-up menu, don’t ask questions — get it. Matcha Martini Even the best bars in the world are embracing the omnipres- ence of matcha. This tequila-forward martini mixes mezcal, matcha tea, Cocchi Americano, coconut and creme de men- the. We won’t speak for you, but we’d gladly sub out a matcha latte for this. Peanut Butter Jelly No, a peanut butter and jelly is not just for kids, and no, it’s not a depression meal. It’s actually the inspiration be- hind a Handshake menu favorite. This fruity, nutty blend of Belvedere vodka, peanut butter, raspberry and Cocchi Rosa is literally garnished with a mini PB&J sandwich. Trying a new, foreign-crafted drink that is paired with a comfort food favorite is kind of the best of both worlds, or rather countries, as the case may be. Whether you are fortunate enough to get a taste of this world-class experience, take pride in knowing that our ex- pert friends south of the border recognize that we know what makes a good drink — we’ll cheers to that. Reservations can be made at catbirddallas.com ▼ Culture Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art Though she explored various genres of art, Marisol was known for her signature take on pop art. “IN RECENT YEARS, WE’VE TRIED TO EXPAND AND BE MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF FIGURES LIKE MARISOL, WHO WAS SO IMPORTANT IN THE 1960S...” –DR. ANNA KATHERINE BROADBECK
