Les Petites Bon-Bons was a group of

conceptual Conceptual may refer to: Philosophy and Humanities *Concept *Conceptualism *Philosophical analysis (Conceptual analysis) *Theoretical definition (Conceptual definition) *Thinking about Consciousness (Conceptual dualism) *Pragmatism (Conceptual pr ...

/life artists that originated in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, in the early 1970s. Their activities spanned the nascent gay activist movement, the international correspondence network and the Hollywood

glitter rock Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...

scene.Olds, Kristen. Art Journal, "Gay Life Artists: Les Petites Bonbons and Camp Performativity in the 1970s". June 1, 2013 p. 16-33. They are known largely by the work of

Jerry Dreva Jerry Dreva (1945–1997) was an artist, writer, performer, activist, and teacher from South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a principal proponent of Mail art. His efforts were concentrated in the areas of self-documentation and performance, often ...

and Robert Lambert, aka Jerry and Bobby Bonbon, and who achieved much of their fame by effectively manipulating major media outlets.

Early history

Les Petites Bon-Bons was originally coined as the name of a review to be staged by a group of young gay activist friends called the Radical Queens, veterans of the local Milwaukee counterculture and gay liberation scene, but it was never produced. In the hands of Dreva and Lambert, the group identity became a vehicle for the synthesis of art, politics, and sex that concerned them at the time. In addition to Dreva and Lambert, other members included Chuckie Betz, Gary Pietrzak, Mark Slizewski, Dick Varga, and Jim Sullivan.

Rock and Roll

Although other sub-identities became associated with the name, such as a fictional drum and bugle corps, the Bon-Bons became known mainly as a conceptual rock band. Although they had no musical abilities and had never played a concert, Jerry and Bobby encouraged the notion among the rock journalists they befriended when they moved to Los Angeles, in June 1973 and January 1974, respectively. Personal links were formed with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

, and many others in the rock world.

Correspondence art

Dreva and Lambert had begun sending art projects to artists and writers they admired in early 1971, generating responses from noted critic Jack Burnham, writer and gay activist Arthur Bell, and eventually generating an invitation to Richard Kostelanetz’s ASSEMBLING series, through which they became aware of the formal network of international artists known as The Eternal Network. These included

Ray Johnson Raymond Edward "Ray" Johnson (October 16, 1927 – January 13, 1995) was an American artist. Known primarily as a collagist and correspondence artist, he was a seminal figure in the history of Neo-Dada and early Pop art and was described as

, the Western Front,

General Idea General Idea was a collective of three Canadian artists, Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal and AA Bronson, who were active from 1967 to 1994. As pioneers of early conceptual and media-based art, their collaboration became a model for artist-initiated ac ...

and

FILE megazine ''FILE Megazine'' (published 1972–1989) was a quarterly, then irregularly published art and culture magazine, written, edited and published primarily by members of General Idea (there were guest contributors throughout its run, and later on, some ...

, Clemente Padin in Uruguay and COUM/

Throbbing Gristle Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in 1975 in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, and Chris Carter (British musician), Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pi ...

in the UK. Their art incorporated camp (style) and the aesthetics of glam rock. Les Petites Bon-Bons used art to create an alternative to the mainstream masculinity of the Gay liberation movement. The Bon-Bons's medium, mail art, contributed to their identification with counterculture. Their work mainly consisted of collage on photocopied texts and images. During the group's period in Los Angeles they became connected to a community of experimental Chicano artists also involved with mail art, including Gronk (artist),

Harry Gamboa Jr. Harry Gamboa Jr. (born 1951) is a Chicano essayist, photographer, director, and performance artist. He was a founding member of the influential Chicano performance art collective ASCO. Biography The first of five children born to a working-class ...

, and Teddy Sandoval, among others.

Legacy

The Bon-Bons were active for only four years, disbanding in 1975. The work of Les Petites Bon-Bons was featured in the traveling exhibition "Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A.," which was on view from 2017 to 2022.

References

{{reflist American conceptual artists Art in Wisconsin Art in Greater Los Angeles LGBT art Culture of Milwaukee