Billy Al Bengston

(American, 1934–2022)

Billy Al Bengston was a contemporary American artist perhaps best known for his radical use of the aesthetics of Californian “Kustom Kar” and motorcycle culture of the late 1950s. Working in both painting and sculpture, his psychedelically colorful works feature mandala-like shapes with imagery derived from symbols, chevrons, and iris flowers. Bengston often used the industrial tools of custom car makers, particularly spray paint and lacquer applied to sheets of aluminum. Born on June 7, 1934 in Dodge City, KA, the artist studied under Richard Diebenkorn and Saburo Hasegawa at the California College of Arts and Crafts before moving to Los Angeles. There, Bengston began showing at the famed Ferus Gallery and established himself as part of a group that rejected the stereotype of the artist as a tormented individual, alongside famed Californian artists like John McCracken, Robert Irwin, and Ed Ruscha. Today, his works can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Cleveland Museum of Art, among others.

Billy Al Bengston Artworks

Billy Al Bengston (421 results)
Playa Estrella Dracula, 1974

Billy Al Bengston

Playa Estrella Dracula, 1974

Sale Date: October 11, 2015

Auction Closed

Lahaina, 1978

Billy Al Bengston

Lahaina, 1978

Sale Date: September 12, 2015

Auction Closed

Business Cards

Billy Al Bengston and Ed Ruscha

Business Cards

Sale Date: May 21, 2015

Auction Closed

Augies Riviera Dracula, 1972

Billy Al Bengston

Augies Riviera Dracula, 1972

Sale Date: May 17, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled Miniature, 1962

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled Miniature, 1962

Sale Date: May 17, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled (3), 1958

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled (3), 1958

Sale Date: May 17, 2015

Auction Closed

Mugs (2), 1957

Billy Al Bengston

Mugs (2), 1957

Sale Date: May 17, 2015

Auction Closed

Mugs (2), 1957

Billy Al Bengston

Mugs (2), 1957

Sale Date: May 17, 2015

Auction Closed

November Watercolor, 1989

Billy Al Bengston

November Watercolor, 1989

Sale Date: March 31, 2015

Auction Closed

Animas Draculas, 1974

Billy Al Bengston

Animas Draculas, 1974

Sale Date: March 31, 2015

Auction Closed

Lahaina, 1978

Billy Al Bengston

Lahaina, 1978

Sale Date: February 21, 2015

Auction Closed

John, 1966

Billy Al Bengston

John, 1966

Sale Date: March 1, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1969

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled, 1969

Sale Date: February 26, 2015

Auction Closed

Tom, 1968

Billy Al Bengston

Tom, 1968

Sale Date: February 26, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1968

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled, 1968

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Dracula. 3, 1968

Billy Al Bengston

Dracula. 3, 1968

Sale Date: December 6, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (Puerto Escondido), 1977

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled (Puerto Escondido), 1977

Sale Date: October 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Honolulu Watercolor; Untitled (2 works), 1979

Billy Al Bengston

Honolulu Watercolor; Untitled (2 works), 1979

Sale Date: October 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (2 parts), 1975

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled (2 parts), 1975

Sale Date: October 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Guitarra Draculas I; Guitarra Draculas II,..., 1974

Billy Al Bengston

Guitarra Draculas I; Guitarra Draculas II,..., 1974

Sale Date: October 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1974

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled, 1974

Sale Date: October 12, 2014

Auction Closed

The Alamo - Green, 1969

Billy Al Bengston

The Alamo - Green, 1969

Sale Date: September 24, 2014

Auction Closed

J.W.S. 6, 1967

Billy Al Bengston

J.W.S. 6, 1967

Sale Date: June 27, 2014

Auction Closed

Honolulu Watercolor, 1980

Billy Al Bengston

Honolulu Watercolor, 1980

Sale Date: April 1, 2014

Auction Closed