Bruce Conner
Biography

Born in 1933 in McPherson, Kansas. Lives and works in San Francisco.

After receiving his B.F.A in art in 1956, Bruce Conner moved to San Francisco where he became a key figure in the burgeoning Beat community. He first attracted public attention with moody nylons-shrouded assemblages, which were complex amalgams of found objects often combined with collaged or painted surfaces.
During the late 1950s, Conner began making short movies in a singular style that has established him as one of the most important figures in post-war independent filmmaking. His innovative technique can be best seen in his first film, A MOVIE (1958), an editing tour de force made entirely by piecing together scraps of B-movie condensations, newsreels, novelty shorts, and other pre-existing footage. In A MOVIE, Conner critically focuses on American pop culture, examining its deeper forms of ideological meaning and the ethical consequences of a society enthralled with speed, conquest and power. In recent years Conner has continued to work on a small scale, producing collages and inkblot drawings.