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)
Venice, 1973

Billy Al Bengston

Venice, 1973

Sale Date: November 22, 2011

Auction Closed

Caracole'S, 1957

Billy Al Bengston

Caracole'S, 1957

Sale Date: September 21, 2011

Auction Closed

October, 1984

Billy Al Bengston

October, 1984

Sale Date: June 25, 2011

Auction Closed

Honolulu, 1979

Billy Al Bengston

Honolulu, 1979

Sale Date: June 26, 2011

Auction Closed

Ka'Ao, 1983

Billy Al Bengston

Ka'Ao, 1983

Sale Date: May 24, 2011

Auction Closed

Honolulu watercolor, 1981

Billy Al Bengston

Honolulu watercolor, 1981

Sale Date: May 24, 2011

Auction Closed

October, 1984

Billy Al Bengston

October, 1984

Sale Date: April 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Tom, 1969

Billy Al Bengston

Tom, 1969

Sale Date: March 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Lipo draculas, 1981

Billy Al Bengston

Lipo draculas, 1981

Sale Date: March 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled, 2000

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled, 2000

Sale Date: January 11, 2011

Auction Closed

Venice Dracula, 1972

Billy Al Bengston

Venice Dracula, 1972

Sale Date: November 23, 2010

Auction Closed

Puerto Vallarta Dracula (Pink/yellow), 1973

Billy Al Bengston

Puerto Vallarta Dracula (Pink/yellow), 1973

Sale Date: November 23, 2010

Auction Closed

Puerto Vallarta Dracula (Blue/pink), 1973

Billy Al Bengston

Puerto Vallarta Dracula (Blue/pink), 1973

Sale Date: November 23, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (#17), 1973

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled (#17), 1973

Sale Date: May 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (Iris), 1974

Billy Al Bengston

Untitled (Iris), 1974

Sale Date: September 16, 2008

Auction Closed

Eighty-eight, 1988

Billy Al Bengston

Eighty-eight, 1988

Sale Date: February 7, 2010

Auction Closed

Sail

Billy Al Bengston

Sail

Sale Date: December 13, 2009

Auction Closed

Turkey Dracula, 1973

Billy Al Bengston

Turkey Dracula, 1973

Sale Date: November 15, 2009

Auction Closed

Ka'ao, 1983

Billy Al Bengston

Ka'ao, 1983

Sale Date: November 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Jhf (+ Rg; 2 works), 2000

Billy Al Bengston

Jhf (+ Rg; 2 works), 2000

Sale Date: November 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Eighty-eight, 1988

Billy Al Bengston

Eighty-eight, 1988

Sale Date: November 17, 2009

Auction Closed

Venice, 1973

Billy Al Bengston

Venice, 1973

Sale Date: November 1, 2009

Auction Closed

Business cards, 1968

Billy Al Bengston and Ed Ruscha

Business cards, 1968

Sale Date: May 12, 2009

Auction Closed

Plato de Moreno, 1982

Billy Al Bengston

Plato de Moreno, 1982

Sale Date: May 4, 2009

Auction Closed