Bruce Nauman: From the Collection
Bruce Nauman: From the Collection
Language, both written and spoken, has been a subject throughout Bruce Nauman’s six-decade career, which includes sculpture, printmaking, video, and installation. Words are not just carriers of meaning; their visual form and rhythm are integral to his artwork. Bruce Nauman: From the Collection brings together two works that engage language in distinct ways. Lewidr (1972), one of Nauman’s early neon word sculptures, is an anagram of the last name of his first art dealer, Nicholas Wilder. The large-scale video and sound installation For Beginners (all the combinations of the thumb and finger) (2010) depicts two pairs of hands following spoken commands. As fingers and thumbs open and close in different combinations, For Beginners becomes hypnotic and unsettling rather than clear and instructional.
This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by The David & Meredith Kaplan Foundation and Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, with generous annual funding from Tanya Fileva, Mary and Daniel James, Bert Levy Fund, Justin Lubliner, Alfred E. Mann Charities, Kelsey Lee Offield, Maggie Tang, Lenore and Richard Wayne, and Marietta Wu and Thomas Yamamoto.
Bruce Nauman, For Beginners (all the combinations of the thumb and finger), 2010, Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Pinault Collection, courtesy of Pinault Collection, © Bruce Nauman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, digital image courtesy Museum Associates/LACMA
- Aug 31–Oct 13, 2025
- BCAM, Level 1
- Today's hours: 10 AM-7 PM
This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by The David & Meredith Kaplan Foundation and Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, with generous annual funding from Tanya Fileva, Mary and Daniel James, Bert Levy Fund, Justin Lubliner, Alfred E. Mann Charities, Kelsey Lee Offield, Maggie Tang, Lenore and Richard Wayne, and Marietta Wu and Thomas Yamamoto.
Bruce Nauman, For Beginners (all the combinations of the thumb and finger), 2010, Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Pinault Collection, courtesy of Pinault Collection, © Bruce Nauman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, digital image courtesy Museum Associates/LACMA