Players Dracula Duodecimo
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph (stone) in black on Magnani Italia paper
Dimensions
sheet: 13.5 x 12.3 cm (5 5/16 x 4 13/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dorothy J. and Benjamin B. Smith
Accession Number
1983.18.282
Art Historical Context
Billy Al Bengston's *Players Duodecimo* (8) is a striking small-scale lithograph, measuring just 13.5 x 12.3 cm, printed in black ink on luxurious Magnani Italia paper. This intimate format—evoking the "duodecimo" size of pocket-sized books—invites close viewing, revealing Bengston's precise control over the stone lithography process. A key figure in California's "Cool School" and Finish Fetish movements, Bengston blended surf culture, motorcycles, and pop motifs in his work during the vibrant late-1960s art scene. The title hints at a playful fusion: "Players" nods to Bengston's recurring ca...
About the Artist
Billy Al Bengston
Billy Al Bengston, born on June 7, 1934, in Dodge City, Kansas, embodied the sun-soaked, rebellious spirit of postwar Los Angeles after his family relocated there in 1948. His artistic training began at Los Angeles City College in 1952, where he studied ceramics under Bernard Kester. He then pursued painting under Richard Diebenkorn and Saburo Hasegawa at the California College of Arts and Crafts ...