By the middle of the 1950s Abstract Expressionism had held sway in the Art World for a full
decade, and there existed certain artists who felt the adulation had gone on for roughly nine
years too long. In an uncoordinated artistic rebellion, a number of new movements began to
gain traction. The one characteristic these movements had in common was shunning the
abstract in favor of the tangible. This article will look at the delightfully-named Funk Art
movement.
Funk Art? From Whence Came that Name?
The romantic version of Funk Art's etymology says it came from jazz music, where "funky"
was a term of approbation. Jazz is also perceived as unrefined and -- especially with late
50s free jazz -- unorthodox. This fits neatly, for Funk Art was nothing if not unrefined and
unorthodox. However, it is probably closer to the truth to say that Funk Art came from the
original, negative meaning of "funk:" a powerful stench, an assault on one's senses.
Whichever version you believe, the "baptism" occurred in 1967, when UC Berkeley Art History
professor and Founding Director of the Berkeley Art Museum, Peter Selz, curated
the Funkexhibition.
Where Was Funk Art Created?
The movement got its start in the San Francisco Bay area, specifically at the University of
California, Davis. In fact, many of the artists who participated in Funk Art were on the studio art
faculty. Funk Art never outgrew being a regional movement, which is just as well. The Bay
Area, the epicenter of the underground, was probably the one place in which it could have
thrived, let alone survived.
How Long Was the Movement?
Funk Art's heyday was in the mid- to late-1960s. Naturally, its beginnings were much earlier;
the (very) late-1950s seem to be the point of origin. By the end of the 1970s, things were
pretty much over as far as artistic movements go. To include all possibilities, we can say Funk
Art was produced for no more than two decades -- and 15 years would be more realistic. It
was fun while it lasted, but Funk did not have a long life.
What Are the Key Characteristics of Funk Art?
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Found and Everyday Objects
Autobiographical Subjects
(Frequently Inappropriate) Humor
Audience Engagement
Elevation of Ceramics
Historic Precedent
Funk was preceded by another Bay Area art movement known as Beat Era Funk or Funk
Assemblage. Its attitude was more Surrealistic than funky, but it did add a few notes to Funk.
Despite also being regional, Beat Era Funk never garnered much popularity.
In terms of humor and subject matter, Funk Art's lineage goes straight back to Dada, while its
aspects of collage and assemblage hearken to Pablo Picasso's and Georges Braque's Synthetic
Cubism.
Artists Associated with Funk Art
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Robert Arneson
Wallace Berman
Bruce Conner
Roy De Forest
Jay DeFeo
Viola Frey
David Gilhooly
Wally Hedrick
Robert H. Hudson
Jess
Ed Kienholz
Manuel Neri
Gladys Nilsson
Jim Nutt
Peter Saul
Richard Shaw
William T. Wiley