Ruby Neri
Bio
Process is key for Ruby Neri (b. 1970 San Francisco). In her paintings, sculptures, and ceramics, she works in a wildly intuitive and expressive manner, with the approach of a sensitive romantic. In her paintings, vibrantly painted figures (dolls, flowers, and people) emerge from thick, intensely layered brushwork. In her ceramics constructed from mismatched body parts, Neri bucks tradition, opting for experimentation. She applies paint and glazes and shapes of all types and colors, creating what might be considered three-dimensional collage. Her standing figures take this approach further, mixing plaster, ceramic, steel, and paint. Neri unabashedly embraces an outsider aesthetic mixed with a wide array of influences—including Giacometti, classical Greek sculpture, and German expressionism—producing work that is incredibly alive and optimistic.
Gallery
Ruby Neri
Works by Ruby Neri. Installation view at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, June 2-September 2, 2012. Photo by Brian Forrest.
Ruby Neri
Ruby Neri. Girl, 2010. Plaster with ink and oil paint. 44 x 21 x 41 in. (111.8 x 53.3 x 104.1 cm). Hort Family Collection; courtesy the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen.
Ruby Neri
Ruby Neri. Sunburn, 2010. Stoneware with acrylic. 26 1/2 x 17 x 17 in. (67.3 x 43.2 x 43.2 cm). Rubell Family Collection, Miami; courtesy the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen.
Ruby Neri
Ruby Neri. White with Lipstick, 2010. Stoneware, glaze, acrylic paint. 23 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 9 in. (59.7 x 29.2 x 22.9 cm). Courtesy the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen.
Ruby Neri
Ruby Neri. Untitled (Painted Witch), 2010. Plaster, steel, oil paint. Sculpture: 38 1/4 x 19 1/2 x 10 in. (97.2 x 49.5 x 25.4 cm). Base: 25 x 12 x 12 in. (63.5 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm). Rubell Family Collection, Miami; courtesy the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen.
Ruby Neri
Ruby Neri. Untitled (Blue Base), 2011. Plaster, oil paint, steel. 43 x 25 x 24 in. (109.2 x 63.5 x 61 cm). Jiménez-Colón Collection, Puerto Rico; courtesy the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen.