Bruce Nauman was born on December 6, 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, although as a child he moved around often. After completing art school at the University of California, Davis, in 1965, Nauman settled initially in San Francisco, where he experimented with a variety of media and worked as an assistant for Wayne Thiebaud. After moving breiflign to Pasadena, Nauman eventually settled in Galisteo, New Mexico, where he continues to live and work today.

Nauman approaches art with a free-spirited attitude, believing whatever he creates can be considered art, freeing him from any expectations. Since his early years, Nauman has long be interested in language, and his prints and other artwork often feature provocative phrases, word play, or the literal depiction of certain phrases and sayings. In general, most of these works are mischievous, and deal with dark humor or subjects. The artist took a brief hiatus from two-dimensional work in the 1970s and early 80s, focusing more on time based works, and is considered an integral member of the Process Art Movement. Since the mid-1980s up until today, Nauman returned to his paintings, sculpture, and print making, creating a prolific body of work that has been collected and exhibited at museums and galleries across the country.