Art Make-Up

Bruce Nauman, Art Make-Up, 1967-1968, single-channel video, 16mm film on video, color, sound; 40:00 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the Ford Motor Company, 2008.21.3A-D, © 2015 Bruce Nauman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix, NY

Artwork Details

Title: Art Make-Up
Artist: Bruce Nauman
Date: 1967-1968
Location: Not on view
Copyright: © 2015 Bruce Nauman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix, NY
Credit Line: Museum purchase made possible by the Ford Motor Company
Mediums: film
Mediums Description: single-channel video, 16mm film on video, color, sound; 40:00 minutes
Classifications: Media Arts
Highlights: Time-Based Media
Subjects: Figure
Dress — accessory — makeup
Object Number: 2008.21.3A-D
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2008.21.3A-D

Artwork Description

Bruce Nauman is one of the most influential pioneers of film, video, and media art. Art Make-Up, Nauman's first "film environment," examines the physical exertion, anxieties, and transformations of art making. The artist sits in front of the camera and proceeds to paint his body in white, pink, green, and black makeup. The moving image is synchronized and projected on four screens intended to surround the viewer with the anxiety of the transformation.

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