Twilight Executive Dracula
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View on museum website →Medium
lithograph (zinc and aluminum) in yellow, beige and black on uncalendered Rives paper
Dimensions
sheet: 26.9 x 26 cm (10 9/16 x 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dorothy J. and Benjamin B. Smith
Accession Number
1983.18.248
Art Historical Context
Billy Al Bengston's *Twilight Executive Dracula* (1968) is a striking lithograph that captures the artist's playful fusion of pop culture and West Coast cool aesthetics. Created using zinc and aluminum plates in vibrant yellow, beige, and black textured, uncalendered Rives paper this intimate print measures just 26.9 x 26 cm, inviting close contemplation. Bengston, a key figure in Los Angeles's Finish Fetish movement, was known for his sleek, lacquered paintings and innovative prints featuring iris motifs and chevron patterns—here reimagined with a whimsical nod to the iconic vampire, blending...
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 ...