Billy Al Bengston

American contemporary artist Billy Al Bengston (1934-2022) worked in painting and sculpture. In the 1960s, Bengston started to show at the Ferus Gallery, which was founded by Walter Hopps and Edward Kienholz. Bengston was inspired by the innovation of Jasper Johns, who included American flags and US maps in his works. He began to experiment with popular iconographies, such as abstracted commercial logos, motorcycles, hearts and eventually, his iconic chevrons. His practice was loosely informed by the Pop art movement as he created work in response to consumer products. In the mid-60s, Bengston started incorporating lacquer into his works, applying spray paint and lacquer to aluminium sheets, which made the surfaces shiny like a genuine motorcycle. He was known for involving California's "Kustom'' car, Motorcycle culture and Finish Fetish movement in his pieces and gained fame for his chevrons series, which showed at Martha Jackson Gallery in New York.