Stuart Brisley

Brisley, born in 1933, is sometimes referred to as the godfather of British performance art, though he is little known on these shores. Like a number of performance artists of his generation (Marina Abramovic and Chris Burden come to mind), Brisley's politically charged actions often involved pushing his body to physical extremes. For one performance, for example, he submerged himself in a tub full of fetid water littered with animal entrails. He was an enormous influence on the Young British Artists who emerged in the early 1990s, especially Damien Hirst. On view are some of Brisley's paintings and sculptural installations, as well as documentation of his still-provocative performance pieces.