Ed Kienholz was born in Fairfield, Washington. A self-taught artist, he traveled throughout the country and finally settled in Los Angeles where Kienholz established himself as a leading member of Pop Art during the 1960s. His revolutionary use of found objects made him a leading contemporary artist on the West Coast. He used common, everyday items to create assemblage pieces packed with social and political commentaries.

Kienholz was known to deconstruct items such as tables, chairs, and even cars in order to reassemble them into entirely different objects. He often used trash, junk, and other waste to assemble his sculptures. After living in Los Angeles for over twenty years, Kienholz married fellow artist Nancy Reddin and they moved to Berlin and then New York City. He has exhibited with Robert Rauschenberg and added a modern twist to the Dada movement. He and Nancy often collaborated on editioned assemblages pieces made from items found in trash heaps and flea markets.