Players Dracula Sexto
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph (stone) in black on Magnani Italia paper
Dimensions
sheet: 12.9 x 12.1 cm (5 1/16 x 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dorothy J. and Benjamin B. Smith
Accession Number
1983.18.276
Art Historical Context
**Players Dracula Sexto** (1968) is a striking black lithograph by Billy Al Bengston, a leading figure Los Angeles's Cool School and Finish Fetish movements. Known for blending pop culture motifs with sleek, industrial aesthetics—often drawing from motorcycles, chevrons, and irises—Bengston created this intimate print during the vibrant late-1960s West Coast scene. At just 12.9 x 12.1 cm (5 1/16 x 4 3/4 in.), its compact scale encourages intimate contemplation, evoking the graphic punch of playing cards hinted at in the enigmatic title. Rendered on high-quality Magnani Italia paper using trad...
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 ...