Baroness Else von Freytag-Loringhoven, an often overlooked German artist, acquired her title by marrying an impoverished aristocrat and had a style of painting that seems, in retrospect, far too raw, loose and comic for her 1920s era. But in “Artificial Complexion,” the group show up at Various Small Fires, the Baroness comes off as a subversive godmother. Her painting of a urinal leaking behind an unopened umbrella, with pink streaks and cursive text in the background, belongs next to Liz Craft’s ceramic lips from 2013. The lips have coins between their teeth and text bubbles on the wall beside them, including one that says “nice panties.”.

Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: Nov. 4. Continues through Dec. 20, 2014
(Expired: 12/20/14)

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.