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 Artworks

Edward Kienholz (542 results)
Volksempfänger with Mirror, 1983

Edward Kienholz

Volksempfänger with Mirror, 1983

Sale Date: April 24, 2021

Auction Closed

For $192.00, 1970

Edward Kienholz

For $192.00, 1970

Sale Date: April 24, 2021

Auction Closed

For $191.00, 1970

Edward Kienholz

For $191.00, 1970

Sale Date: April 24, 2021

Auction Closed

Portable War Memorial, 1968–1970

Edward Kienholz

Portable War Memorial, 1968–1970

Sale Date: March 20, 2021

Auction Closed

Suitcase/Koffer, Documenta 5, Kassel, 1972

Edward Kienholz

Suitcase/Koffer, Documenta 5, Kassel, 1972

Sale Date: May 28, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled

Edward Kienholz

Untitled

Sale Date: December 18, 2020

Auction Closed

The Marriage Icon, 1972

Edward Kienholz

The Marriage Icon, 1972

Sale Date: December 9, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled (Carousel)

Edward Kienholz

Untitled (Carousel)

Sale Date: December 10, 2020

Auction Closed

For $188.00, 1970

Edward Kienholz

For $188.00, 1970

Sale Date: November 26, 2020

Auction Closed

For $461 /For $462 /For $463 / For $465 /For , 1990

Edward Kienholz

For $461 /For $462 /For $463 / For $465 /For , 1990

Sale Date: December 4, 2020

Auction Closed

The Portable War Memorial 1968, 1968

Edward Kienholz

The Portable War Memorial 1968, 1968

Sale Date: November 25, 2020

Auction Closed

Documenta Kassel, 1973

Edward Kienholz

Documenta Kassel, 1973

Sale Date: November 25, 2020

Auction Closed

Carmen Monoseries #19, 1991, 1991

Edward and Nancy Kienholz

Carmen Monoseries #19, 1991, 1991

Sale Date: September 16, 2020

Auction Closed

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