Bruce Conner Retrospective at SFMOMA Explores Artist's Film Legacy and Cross-Media Practice

In 2010, Rudolf Frieling, the Media Arts Curator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, launched the retrospective titled Bruce Conner: It’s All True, following the acquisition of Conner’s THREE SCREEN RAY (2006) for the museum’s 75th anniversary exhibition. This show, co-organized with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, is the first to prominently feature Conner's film work. Noticing a lack of Conner's time-based pieces in SFMOMA's collection since joining in 2006, Frieling reached out to the artist's estate in the summer of 2009 after Conner's passing in 2008. The retrospective showcases films such as BREAKAWAY (1966), MEA CULPA (1981), and A MOVIE (1958), highlighting Conner's innovative use of found footage. The exhibition includes various formats—celluloid, digital projections, and monitors—and features works created for David Byrne and Brian Eno. It will travel to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid in February. Conner’s estate, including his wife Jean and editor Michelle Silva, assisted with the presentation, while Frieling underscores Conner’s impact on contemporary art and his aversion to categorization.