Bruce Nauman (b. 1941, Fort Wayne, Indiana) is a pioneering American artist known for his work in sculpture, performance, video, neon, printmaking, and conceptual art. He studied art, mathematics, and physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1960–1964) and earned an MFA from the University of California, Davis in 1966, studying under William T. Wiley and Robert Arneson. Early in his career, Nauman abandoned painting to experiment with sculpture, performance, and collaborative film projects, while teaching at the San Francisco Art Institute and the University of California, Irvine.

Since the mid-1960s, Nauman has created a diverse and experimental body of work that emphasizes concept over aesthetics. His art often employs irony, wordplay, and viewer participation to explore themes of existence, alienation, and the human condition. Nauman’s first solo exhibition was held at the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles, in 1966, followed by shows at the Leo Castelli Gallery, New York, and Galerie Konrad Fischer, Düsseldorf. His work has been featured in major retrospectives worldwide, including at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (1993–1995), Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (1997), Tate Modern (2004), and Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin (2003). He has received numerous honors, including the Max Beckmann Prize (1990), the Wolf Prize in Arts (1993), Leone d’Oro (1999), and the Praemium Imperiale (2004). Nauman lives and works in Galisteo, New Mexico.