Bob Branaman

Works from the 1960s to Present

BOZOMAG is excited to announce “Paintings from the 1960s to Present”, an exhibition of work by Bob Branaman. This show will feature a career spanning selection of artwork by Branaman. The exhibition will open Saturday, June 11th from 12-5PM and will be on view thru July 17th.

Bob Branaman was born in 1933 in Wichita, Kansas. After attending Wichita State University, he joined several friends in what is now known as the “Wichita Vortex”, that took Bruce Conner, William Burroughs, Stan Brakhage, amongst others, to San Francisco in the late 1950s. In the Bay Area, Branaman exhibited at the Batman Gallery located at 2222 Fillmore. Batman, which was run by William Jahrmarkt, hosted multiple exhibitions by Branaman, along with shows by Jay DeFeo, Joan Brown, George Herms, Ray Johnson, Bruce Conner & Manuel Neri. This loose assortment of artists (many of whom had studios on Fillmore, near Batman Gallery), were known as the “Rat Bastard Protective Association”. By the 1970s, Branaman was settled in Big Sur; making paintings, collages, reliefs & films. After an extended stint raising his family in the Bay Area, Branaman relocated to Southern California in the 1980s. Working for the Santa Monica City College, Branaman focused heavily on print-making, poetry & producing paintings of golfers & golf courses, for nearly a decade. Since the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, Branaman has moved to the Palisades, with his girlfriend. Branaman continues to produce multiple paintings & drawings per week, with focus on a new body of abstract work, called “Strange Worlds”. Several works from this new series will be on exhibition in “Paintings from the 1960s to Present” at BOZOMAG.