BILLY AL BENGSTON, (B. 1934)
The Alamo (the complete suite of five), 1969
The Alamo (the complete suite of five), 1969
Each: incised with the artist's initials, numbered and dated 'B.A.B. 1969' (lower center), embossed with the artist's initials 'B.A.B' (upper center)
Each: lacquer and polyester resin on aluminum
Each: 36 x 34 in. (91.4 x 86.4 cm.)
These works are numbers five, nine, nine, 15 and 20 from an edition of 20.
Bonhams is delighted to present, for the first time at auction, the complete suite of Billy Al Bengston's The Alamo.
Bengston created one of his best-known and most lauded bodies of work in the late 1960s, Dentos. Dentos (originally called 'Canto Indentos') are characterized by Bengston's energetic disruption of surfaces created with lush automotive colors and luminous shine. At first evocative of the Finish Fetish art associated with Los Angeles in the 1960s, Bengston upended the idea of the pristine exterior with dents, punctures, scratches and gashes. The thin aluminum supports are transformed into three-dimensional objects, confounding expectations. Dentos resolutely forge their own path as painting and sculpture, leaving behind any idea of a simple, pristine surface. The dents and planar distortions in the surfaces catch the light and move the viewer's eye around these spellbinding works in all their fierce, ravaged glamour.
The Alamo, like the previous lot Operation Pacific and other Dentos, are titled after John Wayne films. This refence to the idealized American West can also be seen in the central images of military inspired Chevrons, a core motif in Bengston's visual language. A well-known and longtime motorcycle enthusiast, Bengston brought the John Wayne cowboy to contemporary times when instead of a horse, west-coast freedom was exemplified by motorcycles and cars.
The Alamo suite and Operation Pacific are stunning examples of Bengston's Dentos from a period of intense creativity in the artist's career.
View it on
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
The Alamo (the complete suite of five), 1969
The Alamo (the complete suite of five), 1969
Each: incised with the artist's initials, numbered and dated 'B.A.B. 1969' (lower center), embossed with the artist's initials 'B.A.B' (upper center)
Each: lacquer and polyester resin on aluminum
Each: 36 x 34 in. (91.4 x 86.4 cm.)
These works are numbers five, nine, nine, 15 and 20 from an edition of 20.
Bonhams is delighted to present, for the first time at auction, the complete suite of Billy Al Bengston's The Alamo.
Bengston created one of his best-known and most lauded bodies of work in the late 1960s, Dentos. Dentos (originally called 'Canto Indentos') are characterized by Bengston's energetic disruption of surfaces created with lush automotive colors and luminous shine. At first evocative of the Finish Fetish art associated with Los Angeles in the 1960s, Bengston upended the idea of the pristine exterior with dents, punctures, scratches and gashes. The thin aluminum supports are transformed into three-dimensional objects, confounding expectations. Dentos resolutely forge their own path as painting and sculpture, leaving behind any idea of a simple, pristine surface. The dents and planar distortions in the surfaces catch the light and move the viewer's eye around these spellbinding works in all their fierce, ravaged glamour.
The Alamo, like the previous lot Operation Pacific and other Dentos, are titled after John Wayne films. This refence to the idealized American West can also be seen in the central images of military inspired Chevrons, a core motif in Bengston's visual language. A well-known and longtime motorcycle enthusiast, Bengston brought the John Wayne cowboy to contemporary times when instead of a horse, west-coast freedom was exemplified by motorcycles and cars.
The Alamo suite and Operation Pacific are stunning examples of Bengston's Dentos from a period of intense creativity in the artist's career.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
Similar Items
