Bruce Nauman

Bruce Nauman (born 1941) is an artist known for his use of diverse materials and mediums to create installations, sculptures, and a variety of other conceptually based works. Primary concerns in his work include language, wordplay, miscommunication, social spaces, and studio practice.

Generally recognized as one of the most important and influential artists of the 1970s, he was a central figure in the development of Post-Minimal and Conceptual art, and a pioneer in the use of neon and video in art. Primary concerns in his work include language, wordplay, miscommunication, and the nature of social spaces. 

Nauman has had major solo exhibitions at DIA Center for the Arts (2002), Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin (2003), Tate Modern (2004), Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (2005), Tate Liverpool (2006), Milwaukee Art Museum (2006), and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2007). Nauman is also represented the U.S. in the 2009 Venice Biennale. 

Related Works

• Francois Morellet is another artist who creates prints in addition to neon sculptures, though his style is minimalist and geometric as opposed to Nauman’s figurative and text-based works. View his work.
• Ed Ruscha was known for his ironic and playful text-based works which captured life in Los Angeles and the iconography of the American West. View his work.