Chris Burden Dies at 69

Chris Burden who was a conceptual artist and a sculptor has died in his home in California at the age of 69.

Many people believe that Chris Burden was in the true sense an artist. He was very tough and he never compromised. The performance actor has died from cancer at the age of 69. The news was confirmed by Larry Gagosian.

The legendary artist died in the early hours of Sunday and he was at his home in Topanga Canyon, California, according to WSJ. His close friend Paul Schimmel who is also an art curator said that he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma 18 months ago. He also said that he told the news about his cancer to only his close friends and family.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art tweeted its sadness at the news of Chris Burden’s death.

We are deeply saddened to note the passing of Chris Burden, whose impact on art and on LA has been profound. pic.twitter.com/xQQSCLjeEP— LACMA (@LACMA) /4/10, 2015

Chris Burden made Urban Light in 2008 and this sculpture is still in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The museum said that his influence on art has been profound. The artist was born in Boston in 1946.

Then he moved to west coast to study fine art and architecture. He did his undergraduate degree from Pomona College and then went to University of California Irvine and there he was taught by Robert Irwin.

Chris Burden became famous for his challenging performance at the UC Urvine. His famous artworks include Five Day Locker Piece. Chris Burden even locked himself in his high school locker that only measured 2ft by 2ft by 3ft.

Then Chris Burden arranged to be filmed as he wanted to get shot in the arm by his friend with a .22 rifle. After he was shot in the arm, the world of art started looking at him as something they were not used. It gained him notoriety in the art world.

Then he became the first artist ever to be presented with the Gagosian. The artist made almost 50 performance pieces in the 70s. Later he turned to large-scale sculpture which were influenced in part by his architectural training.