Kienholz, Edward

Kienholz, Edward

(born Oct. 23, 1927, Fairfield, Wash., U.S.—died June 10, 1994, Hope, Idaho) U.S. sculptor. He pursued painting until he moved to Los Angeles and began producing large wooden reliefs for walls (1954). His controversial environmental sculptures, begun in the late 1950s, were elaborately detailed three-dimensional assemblages that harshly indicted U.S. society. His most famous walk-in scenes include Roxy's, a replica of a 1943 Los Angeles bordello, and The Beanery, a reproduction of a decrepit bar with 17 figures, piped-in smells, jukebox music, and background conversation. Critics labeled some of his images repulsive or pornographic.

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Kienholz, Edward (1927–  ) sculptor; born in Fairfield, Wash. A self-taught artist, he studied at Whitworth College, Spokane (1945–52), moved to Los Angeles (1953–73), then divided his time between Berlin, Germany, and Hope, Ida. He worked with wooden relief painting (1950s), then created assemblage constructions using found objects, as in the mixed media sculpture, The State Hospital (1966).