4.1 junk assemblage

1. Art$109A:$$Contemporary$Art$
Westchester$Community$College$
Fall$2012$
Dr.$Melissa$Hall$
Making$it$Real:$$Junk$Sculpture$and$
Assemblage$

2. The$New$Academy$
Abstract$Expressionism$becomes$
“mainstream”$in$1950s$
“Abstract$Expressionism$was,$and$is,$a$
certain$style$of$art,$and$like$other$
styles$of$art,$having$had$its$ups,$it$had$
its$downs.$Having$produced$art$of$
major$importance,$it$turned$into$a$
school,$then$into$a$manner,$and$
finally$into$a$set$of$mannerisms.$Its$
leaders$aQracted$imitators,$many$of$
them,$and$then$some$of$these$leaders$
took$to$imitaRng$themselves.$
Painterly$AbstracRon$became$a$
fashion$.$.$.$“$
Clement$Greenberg,$Post$Painterly$
AbstracRon,$1964$
Cecil$Beaton,$The$So'$Look,$photograph$of$a$model$posing$in$front$of$a$Jackson$
Pollock$painRng$$at$BeQy$Parsons$Gallery,$Vogue$March$1,$1951$

3. Two$Paths$
Post$Painterly$AbstracRon$represented$
one$path$
Art$as$Life$
Art$as$Art$

4. Two$Paths$
Should$art$avoid$everyday$life?$
George$Segal,$Cinema,$1963$
Albright$Knox$Gallery$

5. Two$Paths$
Should$art$avoid$everyday$life?$
Arnold$Newman,$George$Segal$with$one$of$his$works,$1964$
“To$the$arRsts$who$arrived$in$New$York$
in$the$late$fiRes,$the$spiritual$and$
philosophical$aspiraRons$of$the$original$
Abstract$Expressionists$were$awesome;$
yet$these$same$aspiraRons$generated$
resentment$because$they$excluded$the$
external$world.$$Younger$arRsts$chafed$
at$being$allowed$to$deal$with$
universals$but$not$to$paint$what$could$
be$seen$or$touched.$$‘We$found$it$
amazing,’$George$Segal$recalled$later,$
‘that$so$much$avant$garde$twenRethb
century$art$was$rooted$in$physical$
experiences$of$the$real$world$and$
suddenly$the$Abstract$Expressionists$
were$legislaRng$any$reference$to$the$
world$totally$out$of$art.$$This$was$
outrageous$to$us.’”$
Barbara$Haskell,$Blam!$$The$Explosion$of$Pop,$
Minimalism,$and$Performance$1958b1964,$Whitney$
Museum,$1984,$p.$12$

6. Two$Paths$
One$way$to$get$art$involved$with$
reality$is$to$make$it$out$of$“real$things.”$$
Art$as$Life$
Art$as$Art$
“To$those$dissaRsfied$with$
Abstract$Expressionism’s$
detachment$from$percepRble$
reality,$the$interjecRon$of$
commonplace$materials$by$
means$of$assemblage$was$
seen$as$a$way$of$.$.$.$bringing$
it$back$into$contact$with$the$
ordinary$and$the$‘real.’”$
Barbara$Haskell,$Blam!$$The$Explosion$of$Pop,$
Minimalism,$and$Performance$1958G1964$

7. Junk$Sculpture$
“Junk$Sculpture”$and$“Assemblage”$
became$such$a$widespread$
phenomenon$that$in$1961$William$
Seitz$curated$an$exhibiRon$at$the$
Museum$of$Modern$Art$Rtled$The$Art$
of$Assemblage.$
William$SeRz,$the$Art$of$Assemblage,$Museum$of$Modern$Art,$19161$
“Assemblage$has$become,$
temporarily$at$least,$the$language$
of$impaRent,$hypercriRcal,$and$
anarchisRc$young$arRsts.”$
William$Seitz,$1961$

8. Junk$Sculpture$
Richard$Stankwiecz,$UnNtled,$1958$
Image$source:$$hQp://www.metroRmes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=13515$
“Junk$culture$is$city$art.$$It’s$source$
is$obsolescence,$the$throwaway$
material$of$ciRes,$as$it$collects$in$
drawers,$cupboards,$ahcs,$
dustbins,$guQers,$waste$lots,$and$
city$dumps$.$.$.$.”$
Lawrence$Alloway,$1961$

9. Junk$Sculpture$
John$Chamberlain$made$sculptures$
from$crushed$automobile$parts$
John$Chamberlain,$Dolores$James,$1962$
Guggenheim$Museum$
“The$whirling$arabesques$of$color$
in$wall$reliefs$such$as$Dolores$James$
echo$the$energy$and$expressive$
power$of$painRngs$by$Willem$de$
Kooning;$the$heroic$scale$and$
animated$diagonals$suggest$the$
canvases$of$Franz$Kline”$
Guggenheim$Museum$

10. John$Chamberlain,$Dolores$James,$1962$
Guggenheim$Museum$

11. Junk$Sculpture$
John$Chamberlain,$Hatband,$1960$
Image$source:$$hQp://www.artnet.com/artwork/423788513/1018/johnbchamberlainbhatband.html$
“It$may$be$difficult$to$imagine$
now,$but$in$their$Rme$Mr.$
Chamberlain’s$early$sculptures$
were$seen$as$a$flagrant$
violaRon$of$the$formalist$idea$
that$color$was$for$painRng$
only.$As$Donald$Judd$wrote$in$
1960,$“Colored$sculpture$has$
been$discussed$and$hesitantly$
aQempted$for$some$Rme,$but$
not$with$such$implicaRons.”$
Karen$Rosenberg,$“Beyond$the$Junkyard:$$
John$Chamberlain$Choices$at$Guggenheim$
Museum,”$New$York$Times$February$23,$
2012$$

12. “Hatband”$(1960),$on$view$at$the$John$Chamberlain$retrospecRve$at$the$Guggenheim.$Sara$Krulwich,$NY$Times$

13. John$Chamberlain,$Marfa$
“For$the$first$Rme$since$the$
period$of$the$futurists,$the$
automobile,$for$example,$has$
been$effecRvely$dealt$
with$.$.$.$.$By$now,$the$
automobile$has$become$a$
mass$killer,$the$upholstered$
love$boat$of$the$adolescent,$
and$the$status$symbol$of$the$
socially$disenfranchised.”$
William$Seitz,$The$Art$of$Assemblage$

14. Louise$Nevelson$
Assemblages$made$of$discarded$boxes,$
crates,$architectural$moldings,$dowels$
and$spindles,$all$painted$a$uniform$
black$
Louise$Nevelson,$Sky$Cathedral,$1958.$$$
Museum$of$Modern$Art$$
Richard$Avedon,$Louise$Nevelson,$1975$
hQp://www.richardavedon.com/
#s=15&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&p=0&a=0&at=0$

15. Louise$Nevelson,$UnNtled,$1968$
Image$source:$$hQp://www.newcriterion.com/arRcles.cfm/Gallerybchronicleb4037$

16. Mark$Di$Suvero,$Hankchampion,$1960.$
Whitney$Museum$$$
“From$the$refuse$found$at$demoliRon$
sites,$di$Suvero$pioneered$a$new$form$
of$sculpture$in$which$wooden$beams,$
chained$together$in$outwardbleaning$
construcRons,$declared$the$physical$
forces$that$held$them$in$check.”$
Mark$di$Suvero,$Landmarks:$$The$Public$Art$
Program$of$the$University$of$Texas$at$AusRn$$

17. Franz$Kline,$PainNng$Number$2,$1954$
Museum$of$Modern$Art$

18. Mark$di$Suvero,$Mother$Peace,$1970$
Beethoven’s$Quartet,$2003$
Sotrm$King$

19. West$Coast$Assemblage$
San$Francisco$–$Beat$Art$movement$
Los$Angeles$bb$Funk$Art$movement$
Larry$Keenan,$Last$Gathering$of$Beat$Poets$and$ArRsts,$North$Beach,$1965$
Image$source:$$hQp://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/1022/107/$

20. West$Coast$Assemblage$
While$New$York$arRsts$enjoyed$the$
support$of$galleries,$collectors,$and$
museums,$California$arRsts$worked$in$
relaRve$obscurity$
Museum$of$Modern$Art,$New$York,$NY.$Philip$L.$Goodwin$and$Edward$Durell$Stone,$
Architects,$1939.$Robert$Damora,$Photographer,$1939$
Image$source:$$hQp://www.robertdamora.com/$
Eliot$Elisofon,$Art$dealer$Leo$Castelli$in$his$New$York$art$
gallery$surrounded$by$artwork,$1960$
LIFE$

21. West$Coast$Assemblage$
The$Six$Gallery$in$San$Francisco,$cob
founded$by$Wally$Hedrick$and$Jay$De$
Feo,$was$the$center$of$the$San$
Francisco$Funk$Art$scene$
Alan$Ginsburg’s$first$public$reading$of$
Howl$was$at$this$gallery$
Wally$Hedrick$with$Jay$De$Feo$and$Joan$Brown$at$the$Six$Gallery,$
San$Francisco.$$Phoro$C.R.$Snyder$
Image$source:$$hQp://www.wallyhedrick.com/album.html$

22. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Wally$Hedrick’s$early$work$consisted$of$
assemblages$made$of$beer$cans,$lights,$
broken$radio$and$television$sets,$
refrigerators,$and$washing$machines$
he$found$in$junkyards$
Wally$Hedrick,$Yagi,$1953$
Image$source:$$hQp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wally.yagi.53.gif$
“What$interests$me$is$to$
take$garbage$and$make$it$
into$art,$kind$of$ironic$art”$
Wally$Hedrick$

23. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Bruce$Conner$created$assemblages$
from$a$wide$variety$of$materials$that$
hint$at$society’s$obsessions$
Bruce$Conner,$Looking$Glass,$1964$SFMOMA$

24. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Bruce$Conner,$Looking$Glass,$1964$SFMOMA$
“In$Looking$Glass,$a$dense$collage$of$
baQered$pinups$of$nude$women$is$
juxtaposed$with$worn$women’s$
stockings,$lacy$undergarments,$and$
oncebelegant$shoes$in$a$meditaRon$on$
male$desire,$vanity,$and$massb
marketed$ideals$of$femininity$and$
beauty.$Presiding$over$this$unseQled$
and$unseQling$construcRon$is$a$
disquieRng$figure$made$of$stuffed$
nylon$pantyhose$and$mannequin$arms$
with$polished$nails,$topped$by$a$head$
formed$from$a$dead$blowfish.$The$
scratched,$torn,$and$burned$surfaces$
of$the$photographs$add$to$the$disRnct$
sense$of$repulsion$or$frustraRon$
conveyed$by$this$work.”$
San$Francisco$Museum$of$Modern$Art$

25. West$Coast$Assemblage$
The$Child$is$a$small$figure$sculpted$in$
black$wax$and$wrapped$in$nylon$and$
string$
Bruce$Conner,$The$Child,$1959b1960$
Museum$of$Modern$Art$

26. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Tom$Crow$has$linked$it$to$the$
notorious$case$of$Caryl$Chessman,$who$
spent$12$years$on$death$row$while$
insisRng$upon$his$innocence$
Bruce$Conner,$The$Child,$1959b1960$
Museum$of$Modern$Art$

27. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Chessman’s$case$aQracted$
internaRonal$aQenRon$and$widespread$
protest$against$the$death$penalty$
Bruce$Conner,$The$Child,$1959b1960$
Museum$of$Modern$Art$

28. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Conner’s$morbid$and$putrefying$
assemblages$suggest$a$society$in$the$
throes$of$sickness$and$decay$–$the$
opposite$of$the$slick$images$of$1950s$
America$seen$in$the$media$
Bruce$Conner,$Snore,$1960$
Fine$Arts$Museum$of$San$Francisco$

29. West$Coast$Assemblage$
The$success$of$Conner’s$assemblages$
prompted$him$to$quit$making$them$
Bruce$Conner,$Bombhead,$1989/2002$
Image$source:$$hQp://www.magnoliaediRons.com/Content/Conner/F00011.html$
“I$quit$the$art$business$in$1967$for$about$
three$years…$At$that$Rme,$whenever$I’d$get$
any$leQers$about$art$related$events,$I’d$
send$them$back$or$throw$them$out.$
SomeRmes,$I’d$write$deceased$on$them.$I$
was$listed$in$Who’s$Who$in$American$Art$
and$I$sent$back$all$their$correspondence$
with$“Deceased.”$Aver$three$years,$Who’s$
Who$believed$me$…$So$the$arRst$$is$
definitely$dead.”$$
hQp://blog.sfmoma.org/2008/07/11/worksbbybtheblateb
brucebconnerbpartb2/$

30. West$Coast$Assemblage$
He$went$on$to$become$a$pioneer$in$
experimental$film$
Bruce$Conner,$Cosmic$Ray,$1961$
“His$work$was$sampling$
before$that$word$existed”$
Brian$Eno$and$David$Byrne$

31. West$Coast$Assemblage$
His$first$film$was$simply$Rtled$“A$
Movie”$
Bruce$Conner,$A$Movie,$1958$
See$video$at:$$hQp://www.tudou.com/programs/view/3b9tCeFX0Eo/$
“Conner$.$.$.$began$making$his$mark$
on$cinema$in$1958$with$A$Movie,$a$
streambofbconsciousness$montage$
made$from$films$purchased$at$a$
local$camera$store;$its$dreamlike$
structure,$Conner$later$said,$was$
influenced$by$TV$channelbsurfing.”$
hQp://earzbmag.com/2008/07/bruceb
connorb1933b2008bforefatherbofb21stbcenturyb
art/$

32. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Bruce$Conner,$A$Movie,$1958$
See$video$at:$$hQp://www.tudou.com/programs/view/3b9tCeFX0Eo/$
“Using$only$found$footage,$
Conner$has$created$one$of$the$
most$extraordinary$films$ever$
made.$One$begins$by$laughing$
at$the$juxtaposiRon$of$cowboys$
and$Indians,$elephants$and$
tanks,$but$soon$the$metaphor$
of$associaRon$becomes$serious,$
as$we$realize$we$are$witnessing$
the$apocalypse.”—Freude$
hQp://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/program/
avantgarde/program5.html$

33. West$Coast$Assemblage$
His$first$film$was$simply$Rtled$“A$
Movie”$
Bruce$Conner,$A$Movie,$1958$
See$video$at:$$hQp://www.tudou.com/programs/view/3b9tCeFX0Eo/$
“Since$there$was$a$movie$I$wanted$to$
see,$and$didn’t$see$it$being$made,$I$
decided$it$had$to$be$my$job$to$make$it.$
And$absolutely$nothing$was$being$taught$
in$schools$how$to$make$films.$I$couldn’t$
take$a$class$in$filmmaking.$I$had$to$invent$
my$own$ways$of$making$movies.$All$I$
could$learn$was$how$to$glue$one$piece$of$
film$to$another.$A$MOVIE$was$made$in$
the$most$primiRve$film$ediRng$process$
that$is$possible.$You$just$glue$it$together.$
I$had$no$work$print,$synchronizer,$
moviola,$sound$reader.$I$had$none$of$the$
technical$tools$that$beginning$film$
students$use$today.$I$had$never$even$
heard$of$most$of$these$technical$tools.$
Although$A$MOVIE$is$being$used$today$–$
and$had$been$used$since$it$was$
completed$in$1957$–$in$teaching$film$
classes,$the$way$I$made$A$MOVIE$is$not$
the$way$anybody$is$ever$taught$how$to$
make$films.”$
Bruce$Conner,$in:$Wiliam$C.$Wees$(Ed.):$Recycled$Images.$
The$Art$and$PoliRcs$of$Found$Footage$Film,$New$York:$
Anthology$Film$Archives$1993,$S.$77b86:$82.$[San$
Francisco$22.$Mai$1991]$
hQp://www.kunstbderbvermiQlung.de/arRkel/kurztextb
conner/$

34. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Report$was$a$film$about$the$Kennedy$
assassinaRon$
Bruce$Conner,$Report,$1967$
“In$REPORT$he$has$used$newsreel$
footage$and$radio$tapes$of$President$
Kennedy’s$assassinaRon$to$produce$a$
13bminute$movie$that$captures$
unbearably,$yet$exhilaraRngly,$the$
tragic$absurdity$of$that$day.”—Jack$
Kroll,$Newsweek$
hQp://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/program/
avantgarde/program5.html$

35. West$Coast$Assemblage$
In$1978$Conner$became$involved$with$
the$San$Francisco$Punk$scene$as$a$staff$
photographer$for$the$fanzine$Search$
and$Destroy$
Bruce$Conner,$Roz$Makes$a$Giant$Step$for$Mankind:$NegaRve$Trend,$January$23,$1978$

36. West$Coast$Assemblage$
In$1981$he$collaborated$with$David$
Byrne$and$Brian$Eno$to$produce$Mea$
Culpa$
hQp://bushofghosts.wmg.com/watch_video.php$
“In$the$course$of$recording$this$
album$Brian$and$I$crossed$paths$
with$arRst$and$filmmaker$Bruce$
Connor,$who$lives$in$San$Francisco.$
Bruce's'$legendary$"experimental"$
films$are$well$known$for$their$
pioneering$use$of$found$footage,$so$
it$was$natural$that$we$approach$him$
regarding$the$possibility$of$working$
together$.$.$.$Connor$mainly$uses$
old$educaRonal$films,$science$films,$
government$footage$and$film$
footage$that$people$throw$out$and$
then$recuts$them$to$new$music$.$.$.$
His$work$was$sampling$before$that$
word$existed,$as$was$this$record.”$
hQp://bushofghosts.wmg.com/watch_video.php$

37. West$Coast$Assemblage$
The$Ferus$Gallery$was$the$center$of$a$
thriving$art$scene$in$Los$Angeles$
Founded$in$1957$it$hosted$Andy$
Warhol’s$first$solo$exhibiRon$in$1962$
The$Ferus$Gallery,$Los$Angeles,$1962$
Artnet$

38. West$Coast$Assemblage$
The$group$of$arRsts$associated$with$
the$gallery$came$to$be$known$as$“The$
Cool$School”$
Ferus$Gallery$ArRsts,$1959$
From$Lev:$John$Altoon,$Craig$Kauffman,$Allen$Lynch,$Ed$Kienholz,$Ed$Moses,$Robert$Irwin,$Billy$
Al$Bengston$$
Photograph$by$Patricia$Faure$
hQp://www.ferusgallery.com/$

39. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Ed$Kienholz$was$a$leading$member$of$
the$group$
Marvin$Silver,$Ed$Kienholz$in$Junkyard,$1962$
Craig$Krull$Gallery$

40. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Before$becoming$an$arRst$he$earned$
his$living$doing$odd$jobs,$such$as$
working$in$a$psychiatric$hospital,$and$
selling$used$cars$and$vacuum$cleaners$
Marvin$Silver,$Ed$Kienholz$Expert,$1962$
Craig$Krull$Gallery$

41. West$Coast$Assemblage$
He$began$making$art$from$discarded$
junk$and$then,$in$collaboraRon$with$his$
wife$Nancy$Reddin$Kienholz,$he$moved$
on$to$making$large$scale$walkbin$
environments$that$he$called$“concept$
tableau.”$
Edward$and$Nancy$Reddin$Kienholz$in$the$studio$
Image$source:$$hQp://www.theartkey.com/index.php?page=news_id&id=248&rlang=en&lang=ru$

42. West$Coast$Assemblage$
One$of$Kienholz’s$earliest$works$is$John$
Doe,$a$paintbsplaQered$mannequin$cut$
off$at$the$waist$and$placed$in$a$baby$
carriage$$
Marvin$Silver,$Ed$Kienholz$introducing$John$Doe$to$Irving$Blum,$1962$
Craig$Krull$Gallery$

43. West$Coast$Assemblage$
It$was$a$portrait$of$“everyman,”$and$of$
the$tortured$soul$of$the$“organizaRon$
man’s”$efforts$to$conform$
Ed$Kienholz,$John$Doe,$1959$
The$Menil$CollecRon,$Houston$

44. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Ed$Kienholz,$John$Doe,$1959$
The$Menil$CollecRon,$Houston$
“The$mannequin$is$cracked$and$chipped,$
and$black$resinous$material$has$been$
poured$over$its$head.$The$chest$has$burst$
open$where$the$heart$should$be,$and$red$
paint$has$run$down$like$blood.$There's$a$
cross$in$the$chest$cavity.$One's$first$thought$
is$that$this$might$represent$the$subject's$
religiousness.$But$if$viewers$kneel,$they$can$
see$through$the$hole$in$the$chest$into$the$
other$half$of$the$divided$mannequin.$Their$
gaze$passes$through$the$buQocks$and$out$
the$enormous,$erect$phallus$which$projects$
from$the$groin.$The$cross$thus$becomes$like$
the$crosshairs$of$a$rifle$scope$and$we$get,$as$
it$were,$a$sperm'sbeye$view$of$John$Doe's$
sexual$target$for$the$night.$John$Doe$easily$
lends$itself$to$Freudian$interpretaRon,$with$
its$raRonal,$religious$half$heading$forward,$
only$to$find$its$eroRc$half$pulling$in$the$
opposite$direcRon.”
Reagan$Upshaw,$“Scavenger’s$Parade.”$Art$in$
America.$October$1996

45. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Keinholz’s$first$walknbin$tableau$was$
Roxy’s,$which$was$exhibited$at$the$
Ferus$Gallery$in$1962$
Ed$Kienholz,$Roxy’s,$1961$
Bremen,$Neues$Museum$Weserburg,$Germany$

46. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Ed$Kienholz,$Roxy’s,$1961$
Bremen,$Neues$Museum$Weserburg,$Germany$
“Roxys$(1961b62),$was$based$on$the$arRst's$
youthful$memories$of$a$brothel$in$Kellogg,$
Idaho.$In$developing$the$piece,$Kienholz$
worked$like$a$set$designer,$construcRng$a$room$
and$filling$it$with$period$props,$including$a$
jukebox$which$plays$midb1940s$music,$a$1943$
calendar,$a$photo$of$General$Douglas$
MacArthur$and$the$like.$InhabiRng$the$set$are$a$
number$of$Kienholz's$grotesque$assemblageb
figures$represenRng$the$madam$and$her$
prosRtutes.$The$madam$has$a$cow's$skull$for$a$
head,$while$FivebDollar$Billy,$one$of$the$
prosRtutes,$lies$on$her$back$on$the$stand$of$an$
old$footbpowered$sewing$machine.$(Is$this$a$
pun$on$the$fact$that$she's$there$to$be$
pumped?)”$
Reagan$Upshaw,$“Scavenger’s$Parade.”$Art$in$America.$
October$1996

49. West$Coast$Assemblage$
In$Illegal$OperaNon$Keinholz$took$on$
the$poliRcally$charged$topic$of$
aborRon$
Ed$Keinholz,$Illegal$OperaNon,$1962$
LACMA$

50. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Ed$Keinholz,$Illegal$OperaNon,$1962$
LACMA$
“The$1962$tableau$is$a$downbandbdirty$
disaster$scene,$laid$out$on$a$taQy$old$
knoQed$rug.$A$floor$lamp,$with$its$
shade$askew,$blazes$over$a$metal$
shopping$cart$rejiggered$into$an$
operaRng$table.$A$sack$of$oozing$
concrete$sits$on$the$table,$like$a$lifeless$
body,$above$a$bedpan$liQered$with$
rusty$medical$instruments.$Off$to$the$
side$are$a$slop$bucket,$a$cooking$pot$
and$a$liQle$red$stool,$apparently$used$
by$the$‘doctor.’”$
Suzanne$Muchnic,$L.A.$Times$
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/
news/arts/la-et-
kienholz20-2008aug20,0,6242187.story

51. West$Coast$Assemblage$
In$Backseat$Dodge$Keinholz$took$on$
another$controversial$topic$bb$teenage$
sex$and$an$emergent$car$culture$
Ed$Keinholz,$Backseat$Dodge,$1964$
LACMA$

52. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Ed$Keinholz,$Backseat$Dodge,$1964$
LACMA$
“One$night$when$he$was$about$17,$Kienholz$
borrowed$his$father’s$’38$Dodge$and$drove$it$across$
the$state$line$to$a$dance$at$Chatcolet$Lake,$
Idaho.“This$girl$was$out$there,$and$I$enRced$her$into$
the$car,”$he$said$in$an$interview$that$is$included$in$a$
secRon$of$the$museum’s$Web$site$devoted$to$the$
online$collecRon.$$
“We$got$some$beer$and$pulled$off$in$the$tules$
someplace$and$did$inRmate$and$eroRc$things$all$
over$her,$and$we$sat$there$and$drank$beer$and$had$
a$nice$Rme.”$
“And$I$couldn’t$remember$her$name$later,”$he$said.$$
“I$thought,$what$a$crazy$situaRon$—$to$be$that$
inRmate$with$a$person$and$not$know$who$they$are.$
It$just$seemed$wrong$to$me$in$a$way.$And$then$I$got$
to$thinking$about$back$seats$and$Dodges$and$the$
kind$of$a$world$where$kids$are$really$forced$into$a$
cramped$space$in$—$maybe$even$a$fear$situaRon,$
certainly$a$furRve$situaRon.$Like$what$a$miserable$
first$experience$of$sex$most$kids$go$through.$I$
mean,$the$back$seats$of$cars.”$
Edward$WyaQ,$“In$Sunny$Southern$Californi$a$
Sculpture$Finds$its$Place$in$the$Shadows,”$New$York$
Times,$October$2,$2007$

53. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Ed$Keinholz,$Backseat$Dodge,$1964$
LACMA$
“Kienholz's$major$brush$with$the$
authoriRes$came$in$1966,$on$the$
occasion$of$his$first$retrospecRve$at$
the$Los$Angeles$County$Museum$of$
Art.$Upset$by$the$sexual$content$of$
Roxys$and$Back$Seat$Dodge$'38bb
probably$Kienholz's$most$famous$work,$
in$which$a$male$and$a$female$figure$
grope$each$other$in$the$back$seat$of$a$
shortened,$purple$Dodge$sedanbbsome$
conservaRve$county$supervisors$
aQempted$to$close$down$the$show.$
The$resulRng$controversy$and$
Kienholz's$arRculate$defense$of$free$
speech$subsequently$aQracted$recordb
breaking$crowds$to$the$museum.”$
Reagan$Upshaw,$“Scavenger’s$Parade.”$Art$in$
America.$October$1996$

54. Ed$Keinholz,$Ed$Keinholz,$Backseat$Dodge,$1964$LACMA$

55. Ed$Keinholz,$Ed$Keinholz,$Backseat$Dodge,$1964$LACMA$

56. West$Coast$Assemblage$
The$Beanery$was$one$of$Keinholz’s$
more$elaborate$walkbin$tableaux$
The$arRst$created$it$aver$seeing$a$
disturbing$headline$about$the$Vietnam$
war$
Ed$Kienholz,$The$Beanery,$1965.$$Photograph$Ralph$Crane$
LIFE$

57. West$Coast$Assemblage$
The$incongruity$of$people$eaRng$at$a$
local$diner$against$the$backdrop$of$
such$violence$was$the$moRvaRon$
behind$the$work$
Ed$Kienholz,$The$Beanery,$1965.$$Photograph$Ralph$Crane$
LIFE$

58. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Ed$Kienholz,$The$Beanery,$1965.$$Photograph$Ralph$Crane$
LIFE$
“The$Beanery$(1965)$[is]$a$fullbsized$replica$
of$a$railroadbcarbsized$bar$and$grill$(based$
on$a$real$LA$diner,$Barney's$Beanery),$
complete$with$music$and$the$recorded$
sounds$of$the$patrons$plus$chemicals$to$
produce$the$smell$of$the$place.$“$
Reagan$Upshaw,$“Scavenger’s$Parade.”$Art$in$
America.$October$1996$

59. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Ed$Kienholz,$The$Beanery,$1965.$$$
“Most$of$the$figures$were$cast$by$wrapping$
plasterbinfused$bandages$around$live$models,$a$
technique$that$Kienholz$was$to$use$in$subsequent$
pieces.$The$clientele$represents$a$cross$secRon$of$
the$populaRon:$there$are$a$young$couple,$two$
movingbcompany$men,$an$aging$barfly$in$a$mink$
stole$who$has$brought$her$poodle,$and$others$(no$
gays,$though,$since$a$couple$of$signs$warn$
"Faggotsbbstay$out").”$
Reagan$Upshaw,$“Scavenger’s$Parade.”$Art$in$America.$
October$1996$

61. Ed$Kienholz,$The$Beanery,$1965$
“Kienholz$once$said$.$.$.$$"A$bar$is$a$sad$place,$a$
place$full$of$strangers$who$are$killing$Rme,$
postponing$the$idea$that$they're$going$to$die."$
The$stopped$dials$of$the$clocks$inform$us$that$
Rme$has$been$effecRvely$killed$in$this$space,$as$
forlorn,$in$its$way,$as$that$other$evocaRon$of$the$
American$greasy$spoon,$Edward$Hopper's$1942$
painRng$Nighthawks.”$
Reagan$Upshaw,$“Scavenger’s$Parade.”$Art$in$America.$
October$1996$

62. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Keinholz’s$concept$tableau$
usually$consisted$of$three$
Parts:$
1. A$wriQen$descripRon$of$the$
concept$$
2. A$drawing$of$the$project$
3. The$finished$installaRon$
Ed$Kienholz,$The$State$Hospital,$1966$

64. Ed$Kienholz,$State$Hospital$(Exterior),$1966$
Moderna$Museet,$Stockholm$

65. Ed$Kienholz,$State$Hospital$(Interior),$1966$
Moderna$Museet,$Stockholm$

66. “The$period$1961b72$consRtutes$a$sort$of$miracle$decade$for$
Kienholz.$The$freebfloaRng$atmosphere$of$violence$at$the$
Rme,$from$the$war$in$Vietnam$to$the$race$riots$to$the$poliRcal$
assassinaRons,$gives$the$work$of$those$10$or$so$years$an$
angry$edge$.$.$.$.”$
Reagan$Upshaw,$“Scavenger’s$Parade”$

67. West$Coast$Assemblage$
Five$Car$Stud$is$a$gruesome$concept$
tableau$depicRng$a$racial$murder$
It$was$exhibited$at$Documenta$5$in$
Kassel$Germany$in$1972$
Ed$Kienholz,$Five$Car$Stud,$1969$

68. “The$scene$depicts$six$white$men$in$
the$process$of$castraRng$a$black$
man.$$Two$white$men$pin$the$black$
man$down$by$his$arms,$one$with$a$
rope$Red$to$his$ankles$restrains$a$
leg,$two$others$casually$holding$
shot$$.$.$.$restrain$him$with$the$threat$
of$firearms,$while$a$laybsurgeon$
(performing$an$"illegal$operaRon")$
takes$to$cuhng$off$the$man's$
balls$.$.$.$and$penis$with$a$metal$
instrument.$$Four$cars$and$a$pickup$
truck$represenRng$the$makes$and$
models$of$the$current$moment$
(1972)$surround$the$scene,$
illuminaRng$it$in$their$headlights.$$In$
the$pickbup$truck$(the$odd$car$out,$
the$mysterious$facebdown$card$in$
this$hand$of$poker)$a$white$woman$
who$the$narraRve$clues$indicate$is$
the$black$man's$date/friend,$has$her$
hand$to$her$mouth$gasping$or$
holding$back$vomit.$$In$one$of$the$
other$cars$a$young$white$boy,$most$
likely$the$son$of$one$of$the$aQackers,$
watches$the$scene$with$
impressionable$innocence.”$
The$Center$for$Three$Dimensional$
Literature$

70. “While$the$faces$of$the$woman$and$child$are$
rendered$unmasked,$the$faces$of$the$
aQackers$are$shrouded$in$costume$masks$–$
the$signs$of$masking$are$not$masked,$
reminding$us,$for$example,$that$the$KKK$also$
wear$hoods.$$The$vicRm$also$has$two$faces,$an$
inner$one$with$a$sRll$expression$encased$in$a$
plasRc$mask$that$depicts$a$scream.$$And$as$if$
to$clarify$any$ambiguity$over$the$racial$
moRvaRons$behind$the$scene,$the$vicRm's$
torso$is$made$from$an$oil$pan$with$the$leQers$
floaRng$in$black$oil,$which$in$one$
configuraRon$—$the$only$one$we$are$intended$
to$read$—$spell$and$misspell$NbIbGbGbEbR.”$
The$Center$for$Three$Dimensional$Literature$

71. “Once$the$viewer$enters$the$tent,$s/he$enters$this$
poker$game.$$S/he$becomes$an$insider,$a$parRcipant$
in$the$scene.$$In$accepRng$the$role$of$the$voyeur,$as$
every$art$viewer$does,$s/he$is$implicated$in$the$
scene.$$The$act$of$looking$at$a$piece$of$art$is$a$
commitment$to$responsibility:$$once$s/he$has$looked$
the$choice$and$act$are$irreversible.$$Once$a$ciRzen$
knows$this$kind$of$violence$occurs,$s/he$can$no$
longer$feign$ignorance.$$To$ignore$the$scene$and$
escape$the$tent$to$view$the$Frankenthaler$in$the$
next$room$implicates$the$viewer$with$turning$his/
her$back$on$the$issue;$to$stay$forces$one$to$take$a$
posiRon$in$relaRon$to$it.$$In$this$scene$of$a$
suspended$moment,$where$what$narraRvely$
happened$before$and$what$will$inevitably$
narraRvely$happen$aver,$the$viewer$confronts$his/
her$own$potenRal$acRons.$$Would$s/he$protect$the$
girl$from$being$the$next$physical$vicRm$or$rape$her$
while$the$others$are$busy;$pull$the$liQle$boy$away$
from$the$scene$or$give$him$a$knife$to$jab$with;$fight$
off$the$men$to$free$the$black$man$or$personally$
finish$the$job?”$$$
The$Center$for$Three$Dimensional$Literature$

72. West$Coast$Assemblage$
In$a$later$work$Keinholz$rebused$the$
photograph$of$Five$Car$Stud$as$the$
view$seen$out$the$window$of$a$car$
door$
Ed$Kienholz,$Sawdy,$1971$
Walker$Art$Gallery$

73. “The$window$is$open.$It's$like$
we're$just$cruising$on$by,$but$
what's$happening$out$there?$The$
scene$is$from$Kienholz's$Five$Car$
Stud$(1969b1972)$and$it's$
something$you$just$don't$want$to$
see.$White$racists$are$castraRng$a$
black$man.$My$father$was$a$
racist,$and$sadly$I$can$recognise$
that$feeling$of$being$close$to$
something$completely$inhuman$
and$yet$being$powerless$to$
change$it.$All$I$could$do$was$
leave$b$I$had$to$drive$on$by,$and$
I'm$not$proud$of$it.”$
Edward$Allington$$
hQp://www.tate.org.uk/tateetc/issue4/
microtate4.htm$

74. West$Coast$Assemblage$
In$the$Portable$War$Memorial$Keinholz$
took$on$the$issue$of$the$war$in$
Vietnam$
Ed$Kienholz,$Portable$War$Memorial,$1968$
WallrafbRichartzbMuseum,$Cologne,$Germany$

75. “The$Portable$War$Memorial$(1968).$Five$face$less$mannequins$dressed$in$combat$gear,$posed$as$in$the$
famous$World$War$11$photograph$of$the$marines$raising$the$flag$on$Iwo$Jima,$were$aQempRng$to$plant$a$
flag$pole$in$the$umbrella$hole$of$a$paRo$table.$The$music$came$from$an$upsidebdown$garbage$can$bearing$
Kate$Smith's$likeness,$while$to$the$right$of$the$marines$were$a$Coke$machine$and$a$reproducRon$of$the$
service$window$for$a$hot$dog$stand.$The$enRre$installaRon$was$colored$in$the$tones$of$galvanized$steel,$
except$for$a$menu$board$bearing$the$legend$"Vb__$Day."$Underneath,$in$chalk,$were$names$of$hundreds$of$
naRons$that$no$longer$existed$because$of$wars,$while$the$blank$next$to$the$"V"$awaited$the$iniRal$of$
whomever$we$were$to$celebrate$beaRng$this$Rme.(1)$With$its$conflaRon$of$patrioRsm$and$the$turning$of$a$
capitalist$buck,$The$Portable$War$Memorial$at$once$evoked$a$past$war$in$Asia$and$stood$as$a$rebuke$to$the$
one$currently$raging.”$
Reagan$Upshaw,$“Scavenger’s$Parade.”$Art$in$America.$October$1996$
Ed$Kienholz,$Portable$War$Memorial,$1968$
WallrafbRichartzbMuseum,$Cologne,$Germany$

76. “Kienholz's$art$was$predominantly$a$socially$criRcal$art$.$.$.$it$confronted$us$with$the$darker$aspects$of$
contemporary$American$life.$Its$subjects$were$society's$vicRms$and$the$methods$of$their$vicRmizaRon:$the$
loneliness$of$death,$furRve$sex,$violent$acts$moRvated$by$racism.$Indeed,$Kienholz$focused$on$these$and$
other$troubling$aspects$of$everyday$life$in$Western$culture$that$were$generally$excluded$from$art$of$the$
1950s$and$1960s$including$other$assemblages$and$environmental$work.”$
Robert$PincusbWiQen$
hQp://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/kienholz.html$