Exhibitions

Pop art icon Marisol back in Rotterdam: major survey in the Depot from 9 October

Museum Magazine · 5 October 2026

In the 1960s she became famous overnight, then faded from public memory. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen brings Marisol back, with more than eighty loans.

From Friday 9 October, the Depot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam presents a major survey of Marisol (1930-2016), according to the museum an icon of pop art. The exhibition runs until 29 March 2027 and occupies three galleries, on the third, fourth and fifth floors.

Friends with Warhol

In the 1960s Marisol became famous overnight with her colourful wooden sculptures, writes the museum. The Venezuelan-American artist was friends with Andy Warhol and appeared on the covers of international magazines. According to the museum, Warhol called her "the first girl artist with glamour". Yet she faded from public memory.

A return

For Marisol it is a return. In 1968 she already had a solo exhibition at Boijmans in Rotterdam. The museum calls it her first, but according to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum she had had solo exhibitions before, including in 1957 at Leo Castelli's gallery. After a successful presentation at the Venice Biennale she travelled on to Rotterdam, writes the museum. In 1972 her work "The Car" from 1964 entered the museum collection, according to Boijmans a real crowd favourite. For this exhibition the Depot is bringing more than eighty international loans to Rotterdam.

You will see humorous wooden figures, mysterious underwater creatures and intimate drawings. Marisol was her own favourite model, writes the museum: she incorporated her face into her work to explore who she could be, as an artist and as a woman in society. Behind the attractive and funny work lies, according to Boijmans, a sharp message about the role of women, social norms and how we treat the climate.

Practical information

The Depot is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11.00 to 17.00. You can only visit with a ticket and a reserved time slot. During the exhibition a surcharge of 2.50 euros applies to the ticket price, not for children aged 18 and under or for a number of pass holders, such as Vrienden van Boijmans (Friends of Boijmans) and holders of a Rotterdampas. On Thursday 22 October, during the autumn half-term holiday, there is a family day at the Depot.