Neon Fantasy
The notorious work of Bruce Nauman
Although Nauman—who’s developed an artistic reputation for “probing relentlessly into the darker aspects of American life”—nabbed some admirers of his work right out of art school, his reputation as a modern art genius really took off in the 1980s, when his neon sculptures and avant-garde videos began getting snapped up by museums and collectors and praised by previously skeptical critics. His most controversial neon sculptures featured moving images of group sex, masturbation, violence and various combinations of the three. His most disturbing video art was a work, titled Clown Torture, which, when it was shown at the 1989 Whitney Biennial, drove one onlooker to stand outside the room and dissuade people from going in to watch it. Check out this video capturing Nauman’s neon art.
