Billy Al Bengston

1934 Born, Dodge City, Kansas

EDUCATION

1952 Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, California

1955 California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts), Oakland, California

1956 Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, California

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1956 Studio Artist, Venice, California

1961 Instructor, Chouinard Art Institute (now California Institute of the Arts), Los Angeles, California

1962-1963 Lecturer, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

1967 Guest Artist, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma

Primarily known as a painter, Billy Al Bengston started his artistic career as a ceramic artist. Shortly after leaving the Los Angeles Art Institute where he studied with Peter Voulkos, Bengston shifted his focus toward painting, although he continued to make some ceramic works. He was affiliated with the influential Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles where he had five solo shows from 1958-1963. Bengston's work often incorporates motifs from motorcycle subculture, surfing and west coast pop-culture.