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Bleu Shut:
Films by Robert Nelson
The artists I knew at that time felt pretty genuinely that if the process got too heavy or ponderous or worried, if you weren’t having a good time at least part of the time, something was wrong. We were bent on having a good time.
Known for his off beat humor and prankster experimentalism, the films of San Francisco native Robert Nelson (1930 - 2012) are among the defining markers of the American experimental film scene of the 1960s and 70s. Nelson’s free-spirited approach and sharp wit powered collaborations with Mike Henderson, William T. Wiley and Steve Reich, among many others. The raucous eccentricity of his early films communicates something of the 60s spirit that he shared with Beat-influenced Bay Area artist friends . As Bruce Weber wrote in the New York Times obituary, Nelson "brought spontaneity, teasing, and wit to the often deadly serious arena of avant-garde moviemaking."
Born in 1930 to a family of Swedish immigrants, Robert Nelson studied painting until changing his focus to concentrate on filmmaking in the early 1960s. Strong influences included the Bay Area bohemian Beat scene and the improvisatory theatre of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, with which he would ultimately collaborate on several films. His marriage to experimental filmmaker Gunvor Nelson also helped jumpstart his early filmmaking impulse and instigated many films.
Nelson worked at various jobs throughout his life, including taxi driving and underwater welding, and eventually teaching film at various institutions, including the San Francisco Art Institute and University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. An active participant in the Bay Area arts movement, Nelson was involved in co founding the independent distribution company Canyon Cinema in 1966. His influence on filmmaking, art and culture was far- reaching—inspiring filmmakers such as Peter Hutton, Fred Worden and Curt McDowell. Robert Nelson’s unique spirit has been missed since his passing in 2012, and the HFA is proud to highlight his work alongside that of his friend and collaborator, Mike Henderson. – Jeremy Rossen