Ed Kienholz, 1921-94

Edward Kineholz was an American pioneering installations artist and assemblage sculptor. Born in 1927 in Fairfield, Washington State, he grew up on a farm learning carpentry, drafting and mechanical skills. Though he received some formal education at both Eastern WA College of Education and Whitmore College (WA), he did not achieve a college degree nor any formal artistic training. He considered himself “self-taught” and was a self-proclaimed rough working-class carpenter and mechanic.

After a number of odd jobs, he settled in LA in 1953 and became involved in the avant-garde art scene. In 1954, he made his first reliefs in wood. His most notable works were dated between 1961 and 1972, beginning with “Roxy’s” (1961) a room-sized environment shown at the Ferus Gallery. From 1972 until his death in 1994, Kienholz assembled much of his artwork in close collaboration with his fifth wife, Nancy Reddin Kienholz and, thereafter, their collective work was referred to as “Keinholz”.

Throughout much of the Keinholz’ career, their work was more appreciated in Europe than in the United States. He was considered on of the lesser-known “American West Coast assemblage artists” along with George Helms & Bruce Conner. Kienholz was also considered a member of the “Beat Generation” and a contemporary of its literary heroes, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs and Norman Mailer.

Edward Kienholz received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1976. In 1994 at the age of 66, he died of a heart attack while hiking in the mountains near his home in Idaho.