William Tunberg (born August 15, 1936, in Los Angeles, California) is an American artist specializing in marquetry, sculpture, drawing and assemblage (art). He lives and works in Venice, California.
Early life
Tunberg was born in Los Angeles on August 15, 1936, to a family of writers. His father, also named William, was a movie, radio, television and short story writer, writing such films and television series as Old Yeller, Savage Sam, Garden of Evil, War Paint, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Wild Wild West, and The Monroes. Tunberg's uncle, Karl Tunberg, was a prolific screenplay writer, his most notable work being Ben-Hur.
Tunberg obtained college scholarships and fellowships from the University of Idaho, University of the South (Sewanee), and University of Southern California (USC), where he received his Bachelor of Arts in architecture in 1963 and his Master of Fine Arts in sculpture in 1965. In 1964, Tunberg won the USC Stanley Jameson Award for most promising artist. In 1965, Tunberg won the First Award, Graphics, Professional for his "Wintergarden IX" drawing in the All California Art in Cross-Section Exhibit, juried by George D. Culler, Director of the San Francisco Museum of Art, and Kenneth Donahue, deputy director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
After graduating from USC in 1965, Tunberg established his studio in Venice, California.
Career
During the 1960s, Tunberg focused on drawing and assemblage. Influenced by Cliff Westerman, Joseph Cornell and Ed Kienholz, Tunberg saw assemblage as the natural three-dimensional extension of surrealism. Using wood, metals, fiberglass, cast plaster, carvings of body parts and found objects, Tunberg encased his narratives in acrylic boxes. Tunberg's assemblage Neoclassical Drawing Trap was selected for inclusion in the Annual of American Sculpture by the Whitney Museum and featured in Time and Esquire.
In 1977, Tunberg was a recipient of the California Arts Commission Award, "Eyes and Ears Foundation Grant", to design and produce art to be exhibited on a billboard. Tunberg's Pat Tap was exhibited on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California and referred to in the book Megamurals & Supergraphics: Big Art. During the 1970s, Tunberg's assemblages were encased in boxes painted in high gloss metal-flake, to invite the viewer into the inner workings and tough narratives of his artwork.
During the 1980s, Tunberg began creating furniture and doors. His furniture is made of exotic hardwoods and inlays and his doors are covered in marquetry cut from wood veneer. In 1987, the 72 Market Street Oyster Bar and Grill in Venice commissioned Tunberg to create an inlaid sculptural railing that spanned the entire interior of the restaurant. In 1989, the Maple Drive Restaurant in Beverly Hills commissioned Tunberg to create 52 one-of-a-kind inlaid sculptural tables and booths and a combination marquetry piano/room dividing screen. As a result of Tunberg's work for Maple Drive, he was awarded the 1990 Annual Design Award, Furniture Designer of the Year, by Angeles magazine.