Karen Lamassonne

Karen Lamassonne (born 1954, in New York) is a Colombian American artist. Throughout her career Lamassonne has explored a plethora of disciplines such as film, printmaking, painting, graphic design, video art, and music. Lamassonne's work is notable for reflecting this combination of several different studies, most noticeably that of her paintings having a very cinematic vision behind them. Moreover, her signature combination of feminine-led sexuality and a frank expression of true life have led to both Lamassonne and her work being the subject of criticism via censorship.

Early life and education Lamassonne was born in 1954 in New York to an Argentine father and Colombian mother. Her childhood was split between New York and Bogota, with Lamassonne residing in Colombia for the majority of the beginning of her artistic career. Lamassonne studied the arts throughout grade school. Towards the end of the 1960s, while in high school in California, Lamassonne began to study under the artist Charles Garoian. Specifically, she took some night classes Foothill College (1971) at Los Altos, California at which she focused her studies on printmaking and painting. Later on, in 1973, Lamassonne decided to further her study of paintings by studying under the artist David Manzur in Bogotá.

Notable works

Baños (1979–1980) A series of watercolors which began in 1979, when Lamassonne left Europe to return to Bogota. Baños is a notable series as it established Lamassonne's reputation as an artist who did not follow the typical rules assigned to her gender, since she chooses to explicitly depict her sexuality and moments of intimacy as a feminine being. Furthermore, this series gained notoriety due to the censorship it received when it was displayed at an executive's gallery; during a meeting at the Galería del Club de Ejecutivos, one of the executives stopped a lecture and stated that "it was impossible to continue ‘if those obscenities’ (the paintings) were not taken down". Pura Sangre is a notable piece of work for Lamassonne as it not only heavily injected with her visual identity, but it also served as one of the pioneering works for the "Caliwood" film movement as led by Luis Ospina, the director of Pura Sangre.

Secretos Delicados (1982) One of Lamassonne's first personal video projects that she both produced and directed. This short features music from artists that Lamassonne listened to throughout her youth, such as Marvin Gaye and The Rolling Stones. "Secretos Delicados" shows a series of clips that all relate back to Lamassonne's signature explicit expression of her sexuality, in this case it is showcased in its relation to Cali, Colombia.

Ruido (1984) Another one of Lamassonne's more well-known personal video endeavors, which also delves into Lamassonne's signature sexuality. This short also focuses on Lamassonne's sexuality in her youth, however it exchanges its Colombia setting for a more New York ambience; the city elements come through via her inclusion of very domestic images. This video is part of an installation that the artist was finally able to create in her Survey show RUIDO/NOISE at the Swiss Institute Contemporary Art New York, in September 2022. The show will travel to KW Institute for Contemporary Art in February 2023 and then travel to the Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín MAMM in July 2023.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Salon de Arte Joven (1977); Museo de Arte Moderno La Tertulia La Tertulia Museum in Cali, Colombia Acuarelas (1977); Galería Pirámide in Bogotá, Colombia Miniaturas (1977); Galería Casanegra in Bogotá, Colombia Festival Internacional de la Peinture (1980); in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France Colombian Figurative (1990); Moss Gallery in San Francisco, California, USA Latin American Artists (1990); CSS in Atlanta, Georgia, USA Dissimilar Identity - Latin American New York (1991); Scott Alan Gallery in New York, New York, USA Artesia Gallery (1992); Palazzo d’elle Esposizione in Rome, Italy Artesia Gallery (1994); Palazzo d’elle Esposizione in Rome, Italy VOCES ÍNTIMAS - Relatos e imágenes de mujeres artistas (2016); Museo Nacional, Colombian National Museum in Bogotá MUJERES RADICALES: Arte Latinoamericano, 1960-1985 (2017); Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, California, USA MUJERES RADICALES: Arte Latinoamericano, 1960-1985 (2018); Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York, USA MUJERES RADICALES: Arte Latinoamericano, 1960-1985 (2018); Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil AMAZONAS (2018); Galería Lamazone in Bogotá, Colombia EL ARTE DE LA DESOBEDIENCIA (The Art of Disobedience) 2018; Museo de Arte Moderno https://www.mambogota.com/ in Bogotá, Colombia LAS POPULARES GRÁFICAS MOLINARI: Versión, subversión y perversión de las imágenes 2018; La Tertulia Museum in Cali, Colombia Actos en Silencio (2019); Galería Liberia in Bogotá, Colombia El Deseo Aparece de Repente (Desire Appears Suddenly) (2021); Instituto de Visión At institutodevision.com in Bogotá, Colombia

Collections

Public collections