Basic data

Bruce Nauman is a prominent U.S. artist known for his innovative works in media such as sculpture, video, performance, and installation. Since the 1960s, he has explored concepts of language, physicality and space, often with a humorous approach. He is considered a key figure in conceptual art and has continually challenged and expanded the boundaries of traditional art forms.

• Born: December 6, 1941
• Place of birth: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
• Nationality: American
• Studied at: University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of California, Davis
• Similar artists: Joseph Beuys, Joan Jonas
• Era: Contemporary art
• Stylistic direction: Conceptual art, minimalism

Biography

Bruce Nauman was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1941. He first studied mathematics, physics and art at the University of Wisconin before graduating from the University of California at Davis with a master's degree in art in 1966.

Since the late 1960s, Nauman has experimented with a variety of media, including sculpture, video, performance, and sound. His work, often described as conceptual and provocative, explores themes of language, the body, identity, and the artist's studio as a creative space. Over the decades, Nauman has had numerous exhibitions and retrospectives in major museums worldwide. His groundbreaking approaches and profound influence on contemporary art have secured him a permanent place in the history of art of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Exhibitions

• 13.09.2023 - 28.01.2024 Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso: the Invention of Language - Musée du Luxembourg.
• 14.05.2023 - 03.09.2023 Blank. Raw. Illegible... Artists' Books as Statements (1960-2022) - Leopold Hoesch Museum + Papiermuseum Düren.
• 13.05.2023 - 19.10.2023 yours truly, - Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen.
• 29.04.2023 - 05.11.2023 The Inner Island - Fondation Carmignac, Hyères.
• 18.02.2022 – 18.02.2024 something new, something old, something desired – Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg.

Awards

• 2014: Friedrich-Kiesler-Prize
• 2009: Award for the best pavilion at the 53rd Biennale di Venezia
• 2006: Art Prize of the Capital Düsseldorf
• 2004: Praemium Imperiale, Tokyo
• 1999: Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale, Italy
• 1993: Wolf Prize in Arts -Sculpture
• 1990: Max-Beckmann-Prize

Films

• Bruce Nauman - Make Me Think, documentary, Heinz Peter Schwerfel, 70 min., Germany 1997.

Literature

• Bruce Nauman. A contemporary, Schaulager, Münchenstein 2018.
• Bruce Nauman. Disappearing acts, Kathy Halbreich, Magnus Schäfer, Taylor Walsh, Isabel Friedli, Münchenstein 2018.
• Bruce Nauman. Ein Lesebuch, Eugen Blume, Cologne 2010.
• Bruce Nauman. Theaters of experience, Meghan Dailey, New York City 2003.

Collections

Germany

• Berlin - Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart
• Munich - Pinakothek der Moderne
• Berlin - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
• Hamburg – Hamburger Kunsthalle
• Karlsruhe - ZKM | Karlsruhe
• Kiel - Kunsthalle zu Kiel
• Hanover - Sprengel Museum

England

• London - Tate Modern

France

• Paris - Pinault Collection - Bourse de Commerce

Italy

• Venice - Punta della Dogana

Netherlands

• Amsterdam - Stedelijk Museum

USA

• New York - MOMA - The Museum of Modern Art
• Los Angeles - LACMA - Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• New York - UBS Art Gallery
• Minneapolis - Walker Art Center
• Chicago - The Art Institute Chicago

Cananda

• Toronto - Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation