Bill Bollinger

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Bill Bollinger (born July 15, 1939 in Brooklyn , New York , † May 27, 1988 in Pine Plains, New York) was an American artist. At the end of the 1960s he was one of the most important sculptors of his time and was mentioned in the same breath as Bruce Nauman , Robert Smithson , Eva Hesse and Richard Serra . His work can be assigned to minimalism .

Life

Bill Bollinger studied aviation from 1957 to 1961 at Brown University in Providence , Rhode Island . In 1961 he moved to New York and attended the Art Students League of New York for a short time . He was engaged in painting. Bollinger described this year as the beginning of his artistic activity. 1969 to 1971 he accepted a teaching position at the School of Visual Arts , New York. This was followed in 1976 by a teaching position at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design . Around 1979/80 he was given a teaching position at the University of Rhode Island .

plant

Bill Bollinger often used industrially manufactured standard products in his factories. The artist explained about his way of working: “I only do what is necessary. There is no need to use paint, polish, bend or weld if it is not necessary. "

The Channel Pieces group of works was created between 1965 and 1968 . For this purpose, the artist combined extruded aluminum profiles to create additive and rhythmic works. This was followed by the pipe pieces made of aluminum tubes with pipe connectors and the rope pieces made of hemp ropes stretched in space. In the Cyclone Fence Pieces , Chain-Link Fence Pieces , Wire Pieces and Screen Pieces , created between 1968 and 1969, Bollinger worked with commercially available wire netting and wire mesh. They allowed him to express questions of space and basic physical laws in painting and drawing. Four works from 1968, Rope Piece , a Wire Piece and two Pipe Pieces were in by Harald Szeemann curated exhibition "Live in Your Head. When Attitudes Become Form ” can be seen in 1969 at the Kunsthalle Bern . Before that, Bollinger had his first European solo exhibition in the Ricke gallery in Cologne . Rolf Ricke has represented the artist since then.

In the Graphite Pieces (1969–1970), Bollinger applied graphite dust to the floor. The development process of the work left clear traces and for Bollinger included the openness and expandability of the work. The ready-made character of Bollinger's works is particularly expressed in the Droplights (hanging lamps), 1969. Later works with floating tree trunks and barrels show Bollinger's affinity for water. From 1973 cast iron works are created.

Awards

  • 1968: National Council on the Arts Grant

literature

  • Christiane Meyer-Stoll (Ed.): Bill Bollinger. Water is Life and Like Art it Finds its own Level , exhibition catalog on the occasion of the exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein , 4.2. - 8.5.2011, in the ZKM / Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe 28.5. - 25.9.2011, Fruitmarket Gallery , Edinburgh, 29.10.2011 - 8.1.2012, Vaduz 2011

Individual evidence

  1. Lucius Grisebach: "It took me quite unspeakably packed at that time" . In: Neues Museum, State Museum for Art and Design in Nuremberg (ed.): Simply art. Rolf Ricke Collection . Verlag für modern art, Nuremberg 2002, ISBN 3-933096-86-3 , p. 8-15 .