Speaking of the American artist Bruce Nauman, the art critic Peter Plagens explains, “He doesn’t want the experience to be pleasant and perfumey, it’s supposed to be disturbing at first, not cheap-shocking disturbing, but just … what the hell is going on here?” Dubbed the “Artist’s Artist” by The New York Times, Nauman has always had the ability to do exactly what Plagens describes—shock—and he’s done it with whatever’s at hand. Nauman constructs immersive installations with sound and images, and also makes monumental sculptures and pieces in neon. Organized in collaboration with the Tate Modern, this retrospective spans 50 years of Nauman’s career. It is his first large-scale show in the Netherlands. —E.C.

Bruce Nauman
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Stedelijk Museum / Amsterdam / Art
Stedelijk Museum / Amsterdam / Art
Installation view of “Bruce Nauman,” 2021. Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Photo: Peter Tijhuis.
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