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Billy Al Bengston Art

American, b. 1934
Based in Venice, California, Billy Al Bengston burst onto the scene in the 1950s with his passion for motorcycle racing and art. Bengston was discharged from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1955 for depleting the clay supply. Following this exit, he enrolled at the Otis Art Institute to study under Peter Voulkos whom he later named as a significant influence, along with Richard Diebenkorn. Bengston found immediate success in the Los Angeles art scene, enjoying multiple solo shows at Ferus Gallery and a 1968 exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His artistic output, mainly sculpture and painting, is informed by a variety of influences that range from his love of motorcycles and car-detailing techniques to recurring geometric shapes similar to those of Jasper Johns. Art historian Andrew Perchuck included Bengston among the "West Coast artists, including Robert Irwin and Ken Price, who were instrumental in redefining the terms of artistic identity in the early 60s by insisting that sub-cultural affinities and leisure-time activities (surfing, car customizing) were at the foundation of their artistic personas."
(Biography provided by Antonio's Bella Casa)
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Untitled
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Billy Al Bengston – American (1934-2022) Title: Untitled Year: 1990 Medium: Lithograph, silkscreen on Arches paper Sight size: 19.5 x 25.5 inches. Sheet size: 24 x 30 inches. Signature: Signed lower right Publisher: Cirrus Editions, Ltd., Los Angeles, CA Edition: 250 This one: 120/250 Condition: Excellent This print is by Billy Al Bengston. It depicts what looks like a coyote staring out at the horizon on a full moon night. This print was created at the same time Bengston was creating his Moon paintings. The print has dark colors. As a result, my photographs are imperfect; they have a bit of glare. The print is in excellent condition. It is attached by two hinges to a matboard measuring 26 x 32 inches and has a Plexiglas frame. The frame is in fair condition with some light scratches. Billy Al Bengston (June 7, 1934 – October 8, 2022) was an American visual artist and sculptor who lived and worked in Venice, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii. Bengston was probably best known for work he created that reflected California's "Kustom" car and motorcycle culture. He pioneered the use of sprayed layers of automobile lacquer in fine art and often used colors that were psychedelic and shapes that were mandala-like. ARTnews referred to Bengston as a "giant of Los Angeles's postwar art scene." Early life and education Bengston was born in Dodge City, Kansas, on June 7, 1934. His family relocated to Los Angeles in 1948. He attended Los Angeles City College in 1952. Subsequently, he studied painting under Richard Diebenkorn and Saburo Hasegawa at the California College of Arts and Crafts, in Oakland, California, in 1955 and returned to Los Angeles to study at Otis Art Institute in 1956. Career Bengston began showing with the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles (founded and run by Walter Hopps and Edward Kienholz, and later Irving Blum), having five shows between 1958 and 1963. As a fixture at the gallery, he was among a cohort of artists that included Kienholz, Ed Ruscha, Larry Bell, Kenneth Price, Ed Moses, and Robert Irwin. (The gallery closed in 1966.) In a 2018 article in Vanity Fair, Bengston recalled that he and Irwin hung the 32 pieces in Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup-can paintings show at Ferus in 1962. He notably described the atmosphere of Ferus as a "macho intellectual gang bang". After seeing the work of Jasper Johns at the 1958 Venice Biennale he adopted the motif of a set of sergeant's stripes. This recurring chevron image was painted with industrial materials and techniques associated with the decoration of motorcycle fuel tanks and surfboards. According to Grace Glueck of The New York Times, Bengston "was among the first to ditch traditional oil paint on canvas, opting instead for sprayed layers of automobile lacquer on aluminum in soft colors, achieving a highly reflective, translucent surface." Bengston encouraged viewers in the early 1960s to associate his art with motorcycle subculture; on the cover of a 1961 catalogue for a Ferus show, he was seen straddling a motorcycle. (He also competed in motocross competitions.) "When I painted these motorcycle paintings...
Category

1990s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen, Paper

"Exposition Especial Seragraphique, Lithographique, Tapestray"
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston "Exposition Especial Seragraphique, Lithographique, Tapestray, Peintore en Suite, Uno-Types" Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles, 1971 Exhibition Poster 28 x 21 inche...
Category

1970s Contemporary Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Offset

Untitled from In Barcelona Portfolio dog and airplane by California Pop Art star
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
BILLY AL BENGSTON Untitled, from the In Barcelona Portfolio, 1988 Etching with aquatint on Rives BFK paper 22 × 30 inches Edition of 75 Signed, dated and numbered 29/75 on the front Published by: Poligrafia Obra Grafica SL, Barcelona, Spain Abstract etching with aquatint containing the silhouette of a dog and an airplane contrasted with a highly textured background, by renowned West Coast based American artist Billy Al Bengston. Published by Poligrafia Obra Grafica, SL in Barcelona, Spain Billy Al Bengston was memorialized in the New York Times as the artist who epitomized California Cool. Billy Al Bengston was born in 1934 in Dodge City, Kansas and moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1948. He studied painting under Richard Diebenkorn at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. In 1957, Bengston began showing with the Ferus Gallery (founded and run by Walter Hopps...
Category

1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Etching, Aquatint

Turkey Dracula mixed media lithograph and watercolor by California Pop legend
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston Turkey Dracula, 1973 Color lithograph with hand coloring and watercolor (unique variant) on Lanaquaralle paper with deckled edges Hand signed and numbered A.P. #6, aside from the regular edition of 24 on the front, with the printer's blind stamp Frame Included: held in original vintage frame Mixed media Lithograph with hand coloring in watercolor (unique variant) Hand signed and numbered A.P. #6 (of 10), aside from the regular edition of 24 on the front, with the printer's blind stamp (Flower) Publisher: Published by Brooke Alexander, Inc. (New York) Printer: Printed by Ed Hamilton (American, born 1941) at Cirrus Editions, Los Angeles (with blind stamp) Measurements: Frame: 25.25 x 25.25 inches Print: 23 x 23 inches About Billy Al Bengston: Billy Al Bengston (b. 1934, Dodge City, Kansas, d. 2022, Venice Beach) moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1948. He studied painting under Richard Diebenkorn at California College of Arts, Oakland, California. In 1957, Bengston began showing with the legendary Ferus Gallery (founded and run by Walter Hopps...
Category

1970s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Watercolor, Lithograph

Honolulu Watercolor (unique signed heart watercolor by West Coast Pop art star)
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston Honolulu Watercolor, 1992 Watercolor on handmade paper with deckled edge in artist's hand made frame with studio label verso Signed, titled and dated in pencil lowe...
Category

1990s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Watercolor, Pencil

Lily, Flower
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Visually bright and dynamic work by expressive California artist Bengston. Colors are crisp and the oversize sheet and size mays for strong visual impact in a room. Newly framed in...
Category

1970s Abstract Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Signed, 1968, Billy Al Bengston Artwork
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Newport Beach, CA
A dramatic, lacquer-and-polyester-resin-on-aluminum, 1968 artwork from the Alamo series by important, West Coast American artist, Billy Al Bengston (b. 1934). The piece from an editi...
Category

1960s Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Polyester, Lacquer

1969 Billy Al Bengston Aluminum Artwork
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Newport Beach, CA
A lacquer-and-polyester-resin-on-aluminum artwork from the 1969 "Mesquite Western" series by important, West Coast artist, Billy Al Bengston (b. 1934). Authentication on reverse. B...
Category

1960s Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Lacquer, Resin

The Alamo – Yellow
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Newport Beach, CA
The Alamo – Yellow- Lacquer-and- polyester-resin-on-aluminum artwork by important, Southern California based artist, Billy Al Bengston (b.1934) Signature: indented initials upper c...
Category

1960s Abstract Geometric Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Metal

Sweet Filthy Cheat (unique signed mixed media painting with artist studio label)
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston Sweet Filthy Cheat, 2004 Watercolor and acrylic on paper Signed, dated and titled on the front Frame included Unique This unique work, with it's charmingly sly tit...
Category

Early 2000s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Pencil, Mixed Media

The Alamo-Yellow
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Irvine, CA
This piece by Billy Al Bengston is titled "The Alamo-Yellow". It measures 36" x 34", it is lacquer paint on dented aluminum and was completed in 1969. Bill...
Category

1960s Contemporary Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Lacquer

Cockatoo AAA Dracula
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston Cockatoo AAA Dracula, 1968 Lithograph , Zinc and Aluminum, in Silver-Violet, Yellow, Two Grays and Orange on uncalendered Rives paper Frame included Edition of 20 s...
Category

1960s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Venice Watercolor
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Billy Al Bengston American (b. 1934) Venice Watercolor, 1975 Watercolor on paper 10 x 40 1/4 in. Initialed, inscribed and dated lower center: "B.A.B. / Venice 1975" Provenance: Bill...
Category

1970s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

"Tom" Lithograph on Aluminum by Billy Al Bengston, 1968
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Skokie, IL
Billy Al Bengston "Tom" lithograph on aluminum, USA, 1968 Additional Information: Materials: Lacquer and polyester resin on aluminum Edition: 18 of 50 Dimensions: 26" H x 25" W
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Billy Al Bengston Art

Materials

Resin

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Previously Available Items
LA 1984 (with official COA from Olympic Committee)
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Billy Al Bengston LA 1984 (with official COA from Olympic Committee), 1982 Offset Lithograph on Parson's Diploma paper (hand signed), with COA from Olympic Committee & publisher Signed in graphite pencil on the recto. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from the publisher on Olympic Committee letterhead. 36 × 24 inches Unframed This is one of 750 hand signed offset lithograph posters, published in 1982 to celebrate the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics - though fewer than 200 signed prints are said to remain.. The Olympic Committee commissioned 15 nationally known artists, including to create unique designs to promote the event. As one of the California-based artists chosen, this was Billy Al Bengtson's contribution to the portfolio. In 2017, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne Switzerland...
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1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art

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Untitled from the Barcelona Portfolio, by Billy Al Bengston
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This is a very well-known and derided art work by the well-known artist Billy Al Benston, signed B.A.B up middle, This is an edition of 20 in red, made in 1969. Enamel/paint metal.
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1960s American Modern Vintage Billy Al Bengston Art

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Billy Al Bengston , Puerto Vallarta watercolor signed, dated, panting on paper.
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great work of Billy Al Bengston watercolor, label in back framed measures 18 x18.Artist studio label in back.
Category

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Materials

Watercolor

Billy Al Bengston art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Billy Al Bengston art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Billy Al Bengston in paint, watercolor, lacquer and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Pop Art style. Not every interior allows for large Billy Al Bengston art, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jules Engel, Carla Rae Johnson, and Scott Nelson Foster. Billy Al Bengston art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,800 and tops out at $42,000, while the average work can sell for $13,250.

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