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.

Edward Kienholz News

Art Fairs

5 Emerging Artists to Watch at Frieze L.A.

by Eileen Kinsella
5 Emerging Artists to Watch at Frieze L.A.
Galleries

Top 10 Documentaries Every Art Lover Should Watch

by Henri Neuendorf
Top 10 Documentaries Every Art Lover Should Watch
Art & Exhibitions

LACMA Pays Tribute to 1960s Renegade Artist Ed Moses's Forgotten But Brilliant Drawings

by Jordan Riefe
LACMA Pays Tribute to 1960s Renegade Artist Ed Moses's Forgotten But Brilliant Drawings

Edward Kienholz Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Edward Kienholz (553 results)
For Two New Decker Packsaddles, 1969, 1969

Edward Kienholz

For Two New Decker Packsaddles, 1969, 1969

Sale Date: September 16, 2020

Auction Closed

The Econo-Can, 1977

Edward and Nancy Kienholz

The Econo-Can, 1977

Sale Date: September 17, 2020

Auction Closed

For $405.00, 1990

Edward Kienholz

For $405.00, 1990

Sale Date: August 20, 2020

Auction Closed

AMERICA MY HOMETOWN, 1963

Edward Kienholz

AMERICA MY HOMETOWN, 1963

Sale Date: July 17, 2020

Auction Closed

The same old shoe, 1984, 1984

Edward and Nancy Kienholz

The same old shoe, 1984, 1984

Sale Date: July 9, 2020

Auction Closed

Double cross, 1987, 1987

Edward and Nancy Kienholz

Double cross, 1987, 1987

Sale Date: July 9, 2020

Auction Closed

For $57.00, 1969

Edward Kienholz

For $57.00, 1969

Sale Date: July 16, 2020

Auction Closed

Black With White, 1957

Edward Kienholz

Black With White, 1957

Sale Date: June 9, 2020

Auction Closed

The Econo-Can, 1977

Edward and Nancy Kienholz

The Econo-Can, 1977

Sale Date: May 14, 2020

Auction Closed

Souvenir from Documenta 5 Kassel- 1973, 1973

Edward Kienholz

Souvenir from Documenta 5 Kassel- 1973, 1973

Sale Date: March 12, 2020

Auction Closed

The Billionaire, 1977

Edward Kienholz

The Billionaire, 1977

Sale Date: January 28, 2020

Auction Closed

Double cross, 1987

Edward and Nancy Kienholz

Double cross, 1987

Sale Date: December 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Herengracht, 1989

Edward and Nancy Kienholz

Herengracht, 1989

Sale Date: December 4, 2019

Auction Closed

For an Antique Cheese Press from Zurich, 1978

Edward Kienholz

For an Antique Cheese Press from Zurich, 1978

Sale Date: November 26, 2019

Auction Closed

The Econo-can, 1977

Edward Kienholz

The Econo-can, 1977

Sale Date: December 7, 2019

Auction Closed

Documenta Suitcase, 1973

Edward Kienholz

Documenta Suitcase, 1973

Sale Date: November 6, 2019

Auction Closed

Kassel V, 1972

Edward Kienholz

Kassel V, 1972

Sale Date: June 25, 2019

Auction Closed

Volksempfänger with mirror, 1983

Edward Kienholz

Volksempfänger with mirror, 1983

Sale Date: June 25, 2019

Auction Closed

Double Cross, 1987

Edward and Nancy Kienholz

Double Cross, 1987

Sale Date: June 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Herengracht. Metallobjekt, 1989

Edward and Nancy Kienholz

Herengracht. Metallobjekt, 1989

Sale Date: June 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Five Car Stud, 1971

Edward Kienholz

Five Car Stud, 1971

Sale Date: May 22, 2019

Auction Closed

For an Antique Cheese Press from Zurich, 1978

Edward Kienholz

For an Antique Cheese Press from Zurich, 1978

Sale Date: June 3, 2019

Auction Closed

For Two New Decker Packsaddles, 1969

Edward Kienholz

For Two New Decker Packsaddles, 1969

Sale Date: May 19, 2019

Auction Closed

For the Secret S.S.S.R, 1972

Edward Kienholz

For the Secret S.S.S.R, 1972

Sale Date: May 19, 2019

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.