I’m pleased to present my 5th book: “Virgil Ortiz: Revolution”. The book covers Virgil’s career and captures the variety of his art, from clay to fashion.

“For Virgil Ortiz, the clay and his art are not so much a career as a calling. Is a life spent mastering a variety of media to give voice to his thoughts, desires, fantasies, culture, and visions of the future. It is a story that at times seemed preordained, and yet the reality is that his success is built on tenacious hard work and talent. At times Virgil is a lone voice speaking out for a cause or a vision. He is both story teller and provocateur. He has continually rejected his clay work as craft and refined it both in technique and content to place it as fine art. Yet within this context, the art Virgil makes remains grounded in his Pueblo culture and early life. This distinctive background illuminates his work and provides a thematic thread that weaves it together across the years. To understand his artistry, it is necessary to also understand his Pueblo world.”—Charles S. King

With an artistic career spanning four decades, Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo) is one of the most innovative artists working today. Not one to be limited or categorized, Ortiz’s artistry extends across media and boundaries— challenging societal expectations and breaking taboos. Ortiz learned traditional pueblo pottery techniques through a matriline of renowned Cochiti potters, his grandmother Laurencita Herrera (1912–1984) and his mother Seferina Ortiz (1931–2007).

Virgil Ortiz: reVOlution is a midcareer retrospective that presents a view into Ortiz’s transformative pottery and art to illuminate his creative and artistic manifestations. With a vision that merges apocalyptic themes, science fiction, and storytelling, Ortiz’s ingenuity as a contemporary artist, provocateur, activist, futurist, and preservationist extends to his creativity in pottery, design, fashion, film, jewelry, and décor.

This beautiful book features more than 200works of art selected by Virgil Ortiz as well as his artist statement.  Curator Karen Kramer contributes a compelling portrait of the artist in her foreword to Charles S. King’s biography of Ortiz.  In addition, this book represents a unique collaboration between book designer and artist with Ortiz leaving his imprint on each page.

Charles S. King is an author, pueblo pottery expert, and gallerist. In 1996 he established King Galleries, with locations in Scottsdale and more recently in Santa Fe, representing many of today’s leading Native potters, historic clay works, and contemporary paintings. He is the author of Spoken Through Clay: Native Pottery of the Southwest—The Eric S. Dobkin Collection (MNMP); Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya (MNMP); The Life and Art of Tony Da; and Virgil Ortiz: Revolt 1680/2180. He has served on boards of art associations and judged pottery at prestigious events including Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum Indian Market, and Gallup Ceremonial. Karen Kramer is Curator of Native American and Oceanic Art and Culture at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Hardcover
236 pages, 55 color plates, 200 color and black-and-white photographs, 10 x 12