Edward Kienholz

(American, 1927–1994)

Edward Kienholz was an American artist known for his found-object assemblages and installations he referred to as tableauxs. In one of his most controversial works, The State Hospital (1966), Kienholz provided a grisly account of the filth-laden conditions he saw while working at a mental hospital during the 1940s. “I mostly think of my work as the spoor of an animal that goes through the forest and makes a thought trail, and the viewer is the hunter who comes and follows the trail,” he once reflected. “At one point I as the trail-maker disappear. The viewer then is confronted with the dilemma of ideas and directions.” Born on October 23, 1927 in Fairfield, WA, he grew up on a wheat farm where he learned carpentry, metalwork, and mechanics. Briefly attending college, Kienholz worked various jobs as a young man before moving to Los Angeles in 1952. Finding himself amidst a small subset of artist’s in the city, he along with the curator Walter Hopps founded Ferus Gallery. The gallery facilitated friendships with several artists of the time, including Bruce Conner and Wallace Berman, whose work made a lasting impact on Kienholz’s own practice. Throughout the 1960s, the artist created a number of tableauxs that graphically criticized racism, abuse, and other social injustices in ways that certain groups of people found objectionable. Kienholz married Nancy Reddin in 1973, the two went on to produce a number of collaborative works over the following decades. He died on June 10, 1994 in Sandpoint, ID. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., among others.

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Edward Kienholz Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Edward Kienholz (553 results)
SAWDY & DOCUMENTATION BOOK: FIVE CARD..., 1971–1972

Edward Kienholz

SAWDY & DOCUMENTATION BOOK: FIVE CARD..., 1971–1972

Sale Date: October 24, 1991

Auction Closed

VOLKSEMPFANGER WITH MIRROR, 1981

Edward Kienholz

VOLKSEMPFANGER WITH MIRROR, 1981

Sale Date: September 13, 1991

Auction Closed

UNTITLED (FROM THE BLACK MONEY SERIES), 1974

Edward Kienholz

UNTITLED (FROM THE BLACK MONEY SERIES), 1974

Sale Date: May 7, 1991

Auction Closed

FOR 9 END WRENCHES.

Edward Kienholz

FOR 9 END WRENCHES.

Sale Date: February 12, 1991

Auction Closed

OBJEKT 1970

Edward Kienholz

OBJEKT 1970 "ROXI VON 1961", 1961–1970

Sale Date: November 24, 1990

Auction Closed

DOKUMENTA-KOFFER, 1972–1972

Edward Kienholz

DOKUMENTA-KOFFER, 1972–1972

Sale Date: November 20, 1990

Auction Closed

PLAKAT-COLLAGE EDWARD KIENHOLZ, 1970–1970

Edward Kienholz

PLAKAT-COLLAGE EDWARD KIENHOLZ, 1970–1970

Sale Date: November 20, 1990

Auction Closed

THE ECONO-CAN, 1977–1977

Edward Kienholz

THE ECONO-CAN, 1977–1977

Sale Date: October 15, 1990

Auction Closed

THE BLACK HEAD, 1981–1981

Edward Kienholz

THE BLACK HEAD, 1981–1981

Sale Date: October 15, 1990

Auction Closed

Kodak Brownie

Edward Kienholz

Kodak Brownie

Sale Date: October 10, 1990

Auction Closed

FOR STRAIGHT TEETH FROM DR. KANTER

Edward Kienholz

FOR STRAIGHT TEETH FROM DR. KANTER

Sale Date: October 10, 1990

Auction Closed

The billionaire

Edward Kienholz

The billionaire

Sale Date: July 10, 1990

Auction Closed

The block head

Edward Kienholz

The block head

Sale Date: July 10, 1990

Auction Closed

KOFFER DOCUMENTA 5, 1972–1972

Edward Kienholz

KOFFER DOCUMENTA 5, 1972–1972

Sale Date: June 21, 1990

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1956–1956

Edward Kienholz

Ohne Titel, 1956–1956

Sale Date: May 26, 1990

Auction Closed

THE GRAVE, 1963–1963

Edward Kienholz

THE GRAVE, 1963–1963

Sale Date: May 8, 1990

Auction Closed

AFTER THE BALL #2, 1963–1963

Edward Kienholz

AFTER THE BALL #2, 1963–1963

Sale Date: May 8, 1990

Auction Closed

TV9-51UW, 1967–1967

Edward Kienholz

TV9-51UW, 1967–1967

Sale Date: April 4, 1990

Auction Closed

The billionaire deluxe, 1977–1977

Edward Kienholz

The billionaire deluxe, 1977–1977

Sale Date: February 19, 1990

Auction Closed

THE PORTABLE WAR MEMORIAL 1968, 1974–1974

Edward Kienholz

THE PORTABLE WAR MEMORIAL 1968, 1974–1974

Sale Date: November 21, 1989

Auction Closed

Wall object

Edward Kienholz

Wall object

Sale Date: June 29, 1989

Auction Closed

WALTER HOPPS, HOPPS, HOPPS, 1959–1959

Edward Kienholz

WALTER HOPPS, HOPPS, HOPPS, 1959–1959

Sale Date: May 2, 1989

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1971–1971

Edward Kienholz

Untitled, 1971–1971

Sale Date: October 8, 1988

Auction Closed

The little eagle rock incident, 1958–1958

Edward Kienholz

The little eagle rock incident, 1958–1958

Sale Date: May 5, 1987

Auction Closed

English (US)

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