david hammons is an american artist especially known for his works in and around new york city and los angeles during the 1970s and 1980s.david hammons was born in 1943 in springfield, illinois, the youngest of ten children of a single mother. in 1962 he moved to los angeles, where he started attending chouinard art institute (now calarts) from 1966 to 1968 and the otis art institute from 1968 to 1972. there he was influenced by internationally known artists such as bruce nauman, john baldessari, and chris burden, but was also part of a pioneering group of african-american artists and jazz mu…