Bruce Nauman is one of the world's best-known and most influential artists, despite leading a comparatively private life on his farm in New Mexico. His vast, multifaceted oeuvre forms the centerpiece of the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection, which comprises key works from each creative period and medium, ranging from performance and video pieces to sculptural works, from walk-in rooms and corridors to neon and text pieces, drawings and prints. Nauman's realization that his work comes out of his "frustration about the human condition" provides the point of departure for Eugen Blume's seminal essay. Opening up historical, theological and philosophical perspectives, the author seeks to come to terms with the existential scope of Bruce Nauman's practice.