Biography

Eugene Von Bruenchenhein worked in a bakery during the decade spanning 1954-1963, during which he worked most fervently on his artworks. In fact, he executed most of his paintings on cardboard boxes he took home from the bakery. Before 1954, Von Bruenchenhein painted largely using brush on canvas, but then switched to using his fingers and non-traditional tools—like combs, quills, sticks, and cooking utensils—to manipulate paint. His subjects were fantastical, including atomic mushrooms, radiating hearts, mythical creatures or monsters, and futuristic metropolises. After 1963, Von Bruenchenhein devoted himself to sculpture, producing many vase-shaped ceramic sculptures, miniature furniture from chicken bones, and life-size crowns with nature motifs. He returned to painting again after 1970.