Edward Bereal

Edward Bereal (born 1937)

Edward Bereal is a political activist and assemblage artist born in Los Angeles, California. 

Edward Bereal was educated at the Chouinard Art Institute from 1959 to 1962. He continued to study privately in the years following with teachers and mentors John Chamberlain, John Altoon and Peter Voulkos. Edward Bereal was introduced to abstract expressionism during his time in school, and this inspired him to take more creative risks.

His artistic voice is driven by his activism, and many of Edward Bereal’s pieces address political and racial stereotypes. In 1961 Edward Bereal presented alongside artists Joe Goode, Larry Bell and Ron Miyashiro in Los Angeles at the exhibition “War Babies” at the Huysman Gallery.

Edward Bereal has also been an engaged performance artist. He was a founding member of Bodacious Buggerilla, a group that got its start performing political vignettes outside of laundromats and on church steps. The group gained momentum over the years and performed to a large number of audiences in a variety of venues. Ed Bereal has commented on how he relished the opportunity to step away from the world of commercial art and engage with audiences in a real, direct way.