Billy Al Bengston Art
American, b. 1934
Based in Venice, California, Billy Al Bengston burst onto the scene in the 1950s with his passion for motorcycle racing and art. Bengston was discharged from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1955 for depleting the clay supply. Following this exit, he enrolled at the Otis Art Institute to study under Peter Voulkos whom he later named as a significant influence, along with Richard Diebenkorn. Bengston found immediate success in the Los Angeles art scene, enjoying multiple solo shows at Ferus Gallery and a 1968 exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His artistic output, mainly sculpture and painting, is informed by a variety of influences that range from his love of motorcycles and car-detailing techniques to recurring geometric shapes similar to those of Jasper Johns. Art historian Andrew Perchuck included Bengston among the "West Coast artists, including Robert Irwin and Ken Price, who were instrumental in redefining the terms of artistic identity in the early 60s by insisting that sub-cultural affinities and leisure-time activities (surfing, car customizing) were at the foundation of their artistic personas."to
14
13
7
4
4
4
2
1
1
1
Billy Al Bengston Signed LA Olympic print 1984 (COA from Olympic Committee) LtEd
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston
LA 1984 (with official COA from Olympic Committee), 1982
Offset Lithograph and lithograph on Parson's Diploma paper (hand signed), with COA from Olympic Committee &...
Category
1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Offset, Lithograph
Lily, Flower
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Greenwich, CT
Visually bright and dynamic work by expressive California artist Bengston. Colors are crisp and the oversize sheet and size mays for strong visual impact in a room. Newly framed in...
Category
1970s Abstract Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Turkey Dracula mixed media watercolor, California Pop star Signed AP 6/10 Framed
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston
Turkey Dracula, 1973
Color lithograph with hand coloring and watercolor (unique variant) on Lanaquaralle paper with deckled edges
Hand signed and numbered A.P. #6, ...
Category
1970s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Lithograph
Signed, 1968, Billy Al Bengston Artwork
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A dramatic, lacquer-and-polyester-resin-on-aluminum, 1968 artwork from the Alamo series by important, West Coast American artist, Billy Al Bengston (b. 1934). The piece from an editi...
Category
1960s Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Polyester, Lacquer
1969 Billy Al Bengston Aluminum Artwork
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A lacquer-and-polyester-resin-on-aluminum artwork from the 1969 "Mesquite Western" series by important, West Coast artist, Billy Al Bengston (b. 1934).
Authentication on reverse.
B...
Category
1960s Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Lacquer, Resin
Honolulu Watercolor, unique signed work on paper by famed LA Pop Artist, Framed
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston
Honolulu Watercolor, 1992
Watercolor on handmade paper with deckled edge in artist's hand made frame with studio label verso
Signed, titled and dated in pencil lowe...
Category
1990s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Watercolor, Pencil
Sweet Filthy Cheat (unique signed mixed media painting with artist studio label)
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston
Sweet Filthy Cheat, 2004
Watercolor and acrylic on paper
Signed, dated and titled on the front
Frame included
Unique
This unique work, with it's charmingly sly tit...
Category
Early 2000s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor, Pencil
California Cool Pop Art Mixed media & lithograph hand signed 20/20, artist label
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston
Cockatoo AAA Dracula, 1968
Lithograph , Zinc and Aluminum, in Silver-Violet, Yellow, Two Grays and Orange on uncalendered Rives paper
Frame included
signed faintly ...
Category
1960s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Mixed Media, Lithograph
Untitled
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Billy Al Bengston – American (1934-2022)
Title: Untitled
Year: 1990
Medium: Lithograph, silkscreen on Arches paper
Sight size: 19.5 x 25.5 inches.
Sheet size: 24 x 30 inches.
Signature: Signed lower right
Publisher: Cirrus Editions, Ltd., Los Angeles, CA
Edition: 250 This one: 120/250
Condition: Excellent
This print is by Billy Al Bengston. It depicts what looks like a coyote staring out at the horizon on a full moon night. This print was created at the same time Bengston was creating his Moon paintings. The print has dark colors. As a result, my photographs are imperfect; they have a bit of glare. The print is in excellent condition. It is attached by two hinges to a matboard measuring 26 x 32 inches and has a Plexiglas frame. The frame is in fair condition with some light scratches.
Billy Al Bengston (June 7, 1934 – October 8, 2022) was an American visual artist and sculptor who lived and worked in Venice, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii. Bengston was probably best known for work he created that reflected California's "Kustom" car and motorcycle culture. He pioneered the use of sprayed layers of automobile lacquer in fine art and often used colors that were psychedelic and shapes that were mandala-like. ARTnews referred to Bengston as a "giant of Los Angeles's postwar art scene."
Early life and education
Bengston was born in Dodge City, Kansas, on June 7, 1934. His family relocated to Los Angeles in 1948. He attended Los Angeles City College in 1952. Subsequently, he studied painting under Richard Diebenkorn and Saburo Hasegawa at the California College of Arts and Crafts, in Oakland, California, in 1955 and returned to Los Angeles to study at Otis Art Institute in 1956.
Career
Bengston began showing with the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles (founded and run by Walter Hopps and Edward Kienholz, and later Irving Blum), having five shows between 1958 and 1963. As a fixture at the gallery, he was among a cohort of artists that included Kienholz, Ed Ruscha, Larry Bell, Kenneth Price, Ed Moses, and Robert Irwin. (The gallery closed in 1966.) In a 2018 article in Vanity Fair, Bengston recalled that he and Irwin hung the 32 pieces in Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup-can paintings show at Ferus in 1962. He notably described the atmosphere of Ferus as a "macho intellectual gang bang".
After seeing the work of Jasper Johns at the 1958 Venice Biennale he adopted the motif of a set of sergeant's stripes. This recurring chevron image was painted with industrial materials and techniques associated with the decoration of motorcycle fuel tanks and surfboards. According to Grace Glueck of The New York Times, Bengston "was among the first to ditch traditional oil paint on canvas, opting instead for sprayed layers of automobile lacquer on aluminum in soft colors, achieving a highly reflective, translucent surface."
Bengston encouraged viewers in the early 1960s to associate his art with motorcycle subculture; on the cover of a 1961 catalogue for a Ferus show, he was seen straddling a motorcycle. (He also competed in motocross competitions.) "When I painted these motorcycle paintings...
Category
1990s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Paper, Lithograph, Screen
Venice, Watercolor on Paper Painting by Billy Al Bengston, 1972
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Orange, CA
Venice, Watercolor on Paper Painting by Billy Al Bengston, 1972
A flamboyant character and a key figure in the Ferus Gallery circle in Los Angeles, Billy Al Bengston is associated with West Coast Pop and best known for spray painting dented sheets of square aluminum with lacquer. These highly finished pieces often featured car and motorcycle motifs, such as the chevron symbol placed at the center of his works, and many include Bengston’s signature sergeant’s stripes, or abstracted images of hearts. His interest in car culture would inspire Judy Chicago, a student of Bengston’s, to attend auto body school and eventually use spray paint techniques.
Additional information:
Medium: Watercolor on paper; Initialed and annotated in black ink
Condition: Excellent
Frame: Included
Dimensions: 12 1/2 × 12 1/2 in 31.8 × 31.8 cm
About artist: Billy Al Bengston (June 7, 1934 – October 8, 2022), the quintessential LA “bad boy,” is best known for his Chevron paintings...
Category
20th Century Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Venice Watercolor
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Billy Al Bengston
American (b. 1934)
Venice Watercolor, 1975
Watercolor on paper
10 x 40 1/4 in.
Initialed, inscribed and dated lower center: "B.A.B. / Venice 1975"
Provenance:
Bill...
Category
1970s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Watercolor, Paper
The Alamo – Yellow
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Alamo – Yellow- Lacquer-and- polyester-resin-on-aluminum artwork by important, Southern California based artist, Billy Al Bengston (b.1934)
Signature: indented initials upper c...
Category
1960s Abstract Geometric Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Metal
"Exposition Especial Seragraphique, Lithographique, Tapestray"
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston
"Exposition Especial Seragraphique, Lithographique, Tapestray, Peintore en Suite, Uno-Types"
Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles, 1971
Exh...
Category
1970s Contemporary Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Offset
Trail Beyond, Polyurethane & Lacquer on Aluminum Art by Billy Al Bengston, 1969
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Orange, CA
Trail Beyond, Polyurethane & Lacquer on Aluminum Art by Billy Al Bengston, 1969
A flamboyant character and a key figure in the Ferus Gallery circle in Los Angeles, Billy Al Bengston is associated with West Coast Pop and best known for spray painting dented sheets of square aluminum with lacquer. These highly finished pieces often featured car and motorcycle motifs, such as the chevron symbol placed at the center of his works, and many include Bengston’s signature sergeant’s stripes, or abstracted images of hearts. His interest in car culture would inspire Judy Chicago, a student of Bengston’s, to attend auto body school and eventually use spray paint techniques.
Additional information:
Medium: Polyurethane and lacquer on dented aluminum
Condition: Excellent
Frame: Not included
Dimensions: 34 × 35 in 86.4 × 88.9 cm
About artist: Billy Al Bengston (June 7, 1934 – October 8, 2022), the quintessential LA “bad boy,” is best known for his Chevron paintings...
Category
20th Century Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Lacquer, Polyurethane
Related Items
Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin Cast Resin Figure in Red, 2015
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in London, GB
Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkin Cast Resin Figure in Red, 2015
Lacquer-painted cast resin figure.
Stamped with the artist’s name on the underside.
Comes in the original box, never opened.
...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Resin, Lacquer, Paint
My 80's Heart "Token 7" 2019, gouache, acrylic, graphite, panel, blue, orange
By Catherine Hart
Located in Jersey City, NJ
My 80's Heart "Token 7" 2019, gouache, acrylic, graphite, panel, blue, wood, orange
Category
2010s Contemporary Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Acrylic, Gouache, Panel, Wood Panel, Illustration Board, Graphite
$120
H 5.5 in W 5 in D 1 in
My 80's Heart "Token 5" 2019, gouache, acrylic, graphite, panel, purple, green
By Catherine Hart
Located in Jersey City, NJ
My 80's Hart "Token 5" 2019, gouache, acrylic, graphite, panel, purple, green, blue
Category
2010s Contemporary Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Acrylic, Gouache, Panel, Wood Panel, Graphite
My 80's Heart "Token 4" 2019, gouache, acrylic, graphite, panel, yellow, orange
By Catherine Hart
Located in Jersey City, NJ
My 80's Hart "Token 4" 2019, gouache, acrylic, graphite, panel, yellow, orange
Category
2010s Contemporary Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Acrylic, Gouache, Panel, Wood Panel, Graphite
$100
H 3.25 in W 5 in D 1 in
Basquiat at Vrej Baghoomian gallery 1989 (Basquiat Red Warrior announcement)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Basquiat: Vrej Baghoomian gallery New York, 1989:
Vintage original folding announcement card to Jean-Michel Basquiat at Vrej Baghoomian Gallery New York: 10/21 to 11/25, 1989. Pictured on front side is an image of Basquiat's iconic, 'Red Warrior.' A rare, highly collectible Basquiat ephemera piece that works well in any collection.
Off-set printed gallery announcement.
8.75 x 5.75 inches (folded closed).
Light signs of handling; otherwise very good overall vintage condition.
Published by Vrej Baghoomian Gallery, New York, 1989.
Unsigned from an edition of unknown. Scarce.
Jean-Michel Basquiat rose to success during the 1980s. Basquiat’s paintings are largely responsible for elevating graffiti artists into the realm of the New York gallery scene. His spray-painted crowns and scribbled words referenced everything from his Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage, to political issues, pop-culture icons, and Biblical verse. The gestural marks and expressive nature of his work not only aligned him with the street art of Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf, but also the Neo-Expressionists Julian Schnabel and David Salle. “If you wanna talk about influence, man, then you've got to realize that influence is not influence,” he said of his process. After quickly rising to fame in the early 1980s, Basquiat was befriended by many celebrities and artists, including Andy Warhol, with whom he made several collaborative works. At only 27, his troubles with fame and drug addiction led to his tragic death from a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988 in New York, NY. The Whitney Museum of American Art held the artist’s first retrospective from October 1992 to February 1993.
Related Categories:
Basquiat Tony Shafrazi. Basquiat ephemera. Basquiat poster. Basquiat prints...
Category
1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
$1,150
H 8.75 in W 5.75 in
Keith Haring 1982 (set of 4 printed works)
By (after) Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Keith Haring Tony Shafrazi 1982: set of 4 printed works:
A set of four double-sided lithographic inserts from the seminal, spiral bound 1982 Keith Haring Tony...
Category
1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Contemporary impressionist expressive acrylic floral bouquet vase painting
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This captivating floral artwork "Summer blooming flowers in a blue vase" is an exuberant portrayal of a bouquet, radiating vibrancy and textural complexity. The piece commands attention with its vigorous brushstrokes, creating a sense of movement and depth.
The bouquet is composed of blooming flowers in a rich palette of colors ranging from various shades of pinks and purples to luminous whites. Each flower is rendered with bold, gestural layers of paint, creating a tactile surface that invites the viewer to appreciate the artist’s dynamic technique.
The background, with its harmonious blend of cool blues and popping greens, forms a vivid contrast against the warm tones of the flowers, enhancing their visual impact.
Noteworthy is the blue-checkered vase...
Category
2010s Abstract Impressionist Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Acrylic, Watercolor, Paper
$295
H 11.62 in W 8.27 in D 0.04 in
Be@rbrick x Andy Warhol Foundation Marilyn 400% and 100%%
By Andy Warhol
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Bearbrick x Andy Warhol Foundation "Marilyn" 400% Vinyl Figure (set of two: 400% + 100%):
Andy Warhol (after) Marilyn figure trademarked & licensed by the Estate of Andy Warhol. The ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Resin, Vinyl
YAYOI KUSAMA - Pumpkin (Yellow). Conceptualism, Contemporary, Modern art, Dots
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Madrid, Madrid
PUMPKIN (YELLOW)
Date of creation: 2016
Medium: Resin sculpture
Edition: Open
Size: 9,5 x 7,5 cm
Observations: Sculpture created with high quality resin stamped on its base with Yayo...
Category
2010s Other Art Style Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Resin
$886
H 3.75 in W 2.96 in D 2.96 in
Robert Rauschenberg Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues (new/sealed)
By Robert Rauschenberg
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Rare unopened Robert Rauschenberg designed Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues:
In 1983, legendary pop artist Robert Rauschenberg designed the album cover for Talking Heads’ acclaimed...
Category
1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
$425
H 12.9 in W 12.9 in
Keith Haring Tony Shafrazi gallery 1982 (set of 6 printed works)
By Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Keith Haring Tony Shafrazi 1982: set of 6 printed works:
A set of six, individual, double-sided lithographic inserts from the seminal, spiral bound 1982 Keith Haring Tony Shafrazi ca...
Category
1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Keith Haring Tony Shafrazi gallery 1982 (set of 6 printed works)
By Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Keith Haring Tony Shafrazi 1982: set of 6 printed works:
A set of six, individual, double-sided lithographic inserts from the seminal, spiral bound 1982 Keith Haring Tony Shafrazi ca...
Category
1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Previously Available Items
Etching and aquatint with dog and airplane, signed/n by California Pop Art star
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
BILLY AL BENGSTON
Untitled, from the In Barcelona Portfolio, 1988
Etching with aquatint on Rives BFK paper
22 × 30 inches
Signed, dated and numbered 29/75 in graphite pencil on the front
Published by: Poligrafia Obra Grafica SL, Barcelona, Spain
Abstract etching with aquatint containing the silhouette of a dog and an airplane contrasted with a highly textured background, by renowned West Coast based American artist Billy Al Bengston. Published by Poligrafia Obra Grafica, SL in Barcelona, Spain
Billy Al Bengston was memorialized in the New York Times as the artist who epitomized California Cool. Billy Al Bengston was born in 1934 in Dodge City, Kansas and moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1948. He studied painting under Richard Diebenkorn at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. In 1957, Bengston began showing with the Ferus Gallery (founded and run by Walter Hopps...
Category
1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Mixed Media, Etching, Aquatint, Pencil, Graphite
LA 1984 (with official COA from Olympic Committee)
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New York, NY
Billy Al Bengston
LA 1984 (with official COA from Olympic Committee), 1982
Offset Lithograph on Parson's Diploma paper (hand signed), with COA from Olympic Committee & publisher
Signed in graphite pencil on the recto. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from the publisher on Olympic Committee letterhead.
36 × 24 inches
Unframed
This is one of 750 hand signed offset lithograph posters, published in 1982 to celebrate the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics - though fewer than 200 signed prints are said to remain.. The Olympic Committee commissioned 15 nationally known artists, including to create unique designs to promote the event. As one of the California-based artists chosen, this was Billy Al Bengtson's contribution to the portfolio. In 2017, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne Switzerland...
Category
1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Untitled from the Barcelona Portfolio, by Billy Al Bengston
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Long Island City, NY
An contemporary abstract etching of a planetary view out the window by American artist, Billy Al Bengston. The print is hand-signed and numbered 33/75 in pencil.
Category
1980s Abstract Expressionist Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
"Kahuna Watercolor" - 1980s Pop Art Framed Watercolor Painting
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in New Orleans, LA
If you clicked on this, you probably already know about the famous L.A. artist Billy Al Bengston. This flamboyant artist somehow combined motorcycle racing and art. His breakthrough ...
Category
1980s Pop Art Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Oasis Dracula
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Roma, IT
Oasis Dracula is an original artwork realized by Billy Al Bengston in 1968. Lithograph in light pearly-gray and light pearly-yellow on white paper. Edition of 20 prints. Printed and ...
Category
1960s Contemporary Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Lithograph
Billy Al Bengston, "Alamo" 1969 in Red, Signed B A B
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a very well-known and derided art work by the well-known artist Billy Al Benston, signed B.A.B up middle, This is an edition of 20 in red, made in 1969. Enamel/paint metal.
Category
1960s American Modern Vintage Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Metal, Enamel
Billy Al Bengston , Puerto Vallarta watercolor signed, dated, panting on paper.
By Billy Al Bengston
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great work of Billy Al Bengston watercolor, label in back framed measures 18 x18.Artist studio label in back.
Category
1970s American Modern Vintage Billy Al Bengston Art
Materials
Watercolor
H 18.25 in W 18.25 in D 2 in
Billy Al Bengston art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Billy Al Bengston art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Billy Al Bengston in paint, watercolor, lacquer and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Pop Art style. Not every interior allows for large Billy Al Bengston art, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jules Engel, Carla Rae Johnson, and Scott Nelson Foster. Billy Al Bengston art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,800 and tops out at $42,000, while the average work can sell for $13,250.