Jef Bourgeau

Jef Bourgeau

is an American photographer, painter and conceptual artist who has become notorious through his sculptures, photography and curatorial work. The most famous and provocative of Bourgeau's work plays on the relationship between iconic imagery and irreverent materials, together forming a new context often drawing upon current controversies and, perhaps, the willfully provocative.

Most notable to date are his censored works 'Nigger Toe' and 'Bathtub Jesus', as well as several seminal exhibitions in which he both curated and participated: 'Fear No Art' which was raided by police and brought Bourgeau to trial on obscenity charges, 'Van Gogh's Ear' which was padlocked by the Detroit Institute of Art after only its third day, and 'kaBOOM!' an exhibition where all a contemporary museum's artwork was destroyed on the spot by its patrons and visitors.

An undiagnosed dyslexic, Bourgeau never finished his education. He spent his teen years working at a box factory in his home town of Detroit. During that time, utilizing the materials at hand, he began to make and experiment with several pinhole cameras. The early work from these rudimentary cameras developed into dark, moody photographs and paintings. Bourgeau has since re...