Biography

American contemporary artist. Born in Nebraska. Via Oklahoma City, he moved to Los Angeles, where he studied photography, graphic design and art history. His experience of working as a pressman for a publisher while a student heightened his interest in words and letters. He was impressed by the art of Jasper Johns, while also gradually taking the course toward fine arts. From the 1960s, aside from producing paintings that incorporated letters, he also became active in a wide range of fields, such as publishing books as objects, photography and film. In 1963, his first solo exhibition was held in Los Angeles. In that same year, he met Marcel Duchamp and was influenced by his art. Since the 1980s, his retrospectives have been held at such venues as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Pompidou Centre and Walker Art Center.