Art-O-Gram: What is conceptual art?

Kunstplaza regularly features a variety of artists who have made a name for themselves in our world on this blog. Quite a few of these artists are described as "conceptual artists ," which often leads newcomers to art to wonder what conceptual art is.

For beginners, here is an Art-o-Gram about conceptual art, a sketchy introduction that provides initial knowledge and aims to encourage further exploration of this exciting art form:

Attempts to approach conceptual art often end in mild despair… 😉

Many people struggle with conceptual art; they even struggle to recognize conceptual art as art at all. It is even more difficult for these people to approach an individual conceptual artist and make (meaningful) assumptions about "what the artist is trying to tell us" .

So perhaps the scientists should have their say first – as always, when understanding a field is not entirely straightforward, an attempt at classification might help.

And so art historians have also spent a lot of time trying to force conceptual art into a framework, successfully of course, as conceptual art is considered its own art style (you can read more about this in the Art-o-Gram article “How art history brings order to art”).

So what exactly is conceptual art?

In the article just mentioned, you will learn that classifying art is one of the more difficult tasks that a true scientist – neutral, focused on imparting knowledge and not on merit of any kind – can undertake.

Definition in four short sentences:

Conceptual art is an artistic style was significantly shaped in the 1960s by the American artist Sol LeWitt and the French-American painter and object artist Marcel Duchamp Conceptual Art or Conceptualism ). Conceptual art is not a cohesive art movement or style, but rather a collection of strategies. Conceptual artists understand art as an idea, not as the creation of a finished, concrete art object.

The origins of conceptual art lie in Minimal Art ( minimalism as an art form), and with it the theories and tendencies of abstract painting further developed.

A more complex classification of conceptual art

Classification is particularly problematic in the case of conceptual art; in fact, all common criteria for classification "fail" in conceptual art – it adheres neither to a genre (often a wide variety of media are used), nor to a specific genre (many photographs or landscapes become installations, which in turn are large portraits), nor to a specific art form (a conceptual artist's sculpture can certainly be created from writing on paper).

Thus, conceptual art can only be classified according to style , and probably for this reason, conceptual art is regarded almost without discussion as one of the clearly distinguishable art styles that the world of art appreciation has developed.

Depending on whether the focus is limited to Europe or includes the entire art world, whether all past eras are considered or only those closer to the present, whether the focus is limited to so-called high art or includes everyday art and crafts, several dozen or even twice as many art styles are distinguished, with coarser and finer ramifications and contentious subdivisions; however, conceptual art maintains its own place among all stylistic models.

In stylistics, a recognized backbone of art appreciation, the search is on for the common characteristics that different works of art exhibit, in order to then unite these works of art under a stylistic designation.

, conceptual art is regarded in was founded in the 1960s by the American artist Sol LeWitt

He was the first to define the characteristic considered crucial for this classification, resulting in the understanding that today conceptual art is art in which the concept of the artwork takes center stage. The idea is given considerably more importance than the actual creation of the artwork.

In conceptual art, the execution of the artwork does not even have to be done by the artist himself, which means that in conceptual art, in addition to the finished artwork, instructions and sketches, notes and artist's books are also considered works of art.

Conceptual art thus dematerializes the artwork, and quickly develops the logical consequence that the viewer must be included in the artwork.

His associations and the context in which a work is viewed will play an increasingly important role in the development of conceptual art, culminating in Dan Graham's :

In his view, his art pavilions only exist when they are entered by the public, whose diverse reactions, provoked by Graham, bring the artwork to life.

The significance of this characteristic also explains why such diverse art forms as object art, ephemeral objects, site-specific installations or happenings can therefore be considered part of conceptual art.

They simply need to have originated from the idea that the thought, the concept, is of primary importance to the artwork. The execution of the idea does not necessarily have to be carried out by the artist.

Instead of the finished work, sketches, instruction texts, notes, etc., now take center stage. Artists' books that develop their own aesthetic qualities are also included.

For the viewer of this art, there is a completely different crucial characteristic – in order to understand a conceptual artwork, he will always have to engage with the artist and his ideas; otherwise, he will never be able to recognize a concept.

Conceptualism represents an important aspect of contemporary art, but it should not be confused with all artistic practices that reject classical media such as painting and sculpture or that place the intentionality of the artist at the center of the creative process.

Video contribution from the Schirn Kunsthalle as a further explanatory approach

Another approach to defining art can be found in the following video “WHAT IS CONCEPTUAL ART? | The shortest way to more knowledge about art” is provided by the renowned Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt

The key ideas at a glance

• "The idea becomes a machine that makes art" —this was the self-conception of the artist Sol LeWitt, which he expressed in his text "Paragraphs on Conceptual Art" in 1969. This sentence represents the basic concept of the movement, emphasizing the dominance of the idea.
• The work does not have to be a (finished) object. A collection of instructions from the artist can be sufficient.
• Conceptual art abandons beauty, aesthetics, rarity, and skill as means of evaluating a work of art.
• Conceptual art should be intellectually interesting and challenging for the viewer. The artists intend to make conceptual art provocative.
• Conceptual art works also question the role of museums and the powerful role of the art market as a “dictator” over art and art production.

How did the art style “Conceptual Art” originate?

It all began with abstract expressionism , an art movement of modern painting that emerged in North America after World War II, which placed more emphasis on spontaneity and emotions than on rules, reason and perfection.

Minimalism Minimal Art in English also developed in North America in the early 1960s , which aimed for schematic clarity, logic and objectivity and the suppression of personal expression.

Abstract Expressionism, in particular, was decisively influenced by the Dadaists and Surrealists Marcel Duchamp (who lived in New York during both World Wars) and his friend René Magritte (who had his first New York exhibition in 1936), and some aspects of these art styles certainly made these two extraordinary artists pioneers of conceptual art.

Surrealism saw its main task as shaking up conventional habits in the perception of art, and Dada revolted against all conventional art and art form and against all bourgeois ideals.

Thus, Magritte's ideal of a realization of reality inherent in the artwork became a programmatic pillar of conceptual art, as did Duchamp's idea that "retinal" art (art perceptible only to the eye) was sensationalist and not to be taken seriously, and that true art arises where the artwork has an effect on thought.

The origin of the term conceptual art can be traced back to a text by Henry Flint from 1961, Essay: Concept Art , in which the artist and philosopher of the Fluxus group described his performances and artistic work as conceptual work.

Marcel Broodthaers also became an important theorist of Conceptual Art over the course of his artistic career, indeed, practically a Conceptual Artist himself. For example, by being the first to make art theory, the art market, and museum operations the subject of his artistic work, or by crossing the boundaries of painting as early as the late 1960s to present installations and artists' books, sculptures, films, and photographs as works of art.

“Conceptual Art” at precisely this time , when he wrote “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art” in 1967, in which he defined his art as “conceptual” and relevant to the viewer primarily in an intellectual sense, in contrast to “perceptual art,” . For the first time in this work, the idea of ​​the artwork, the concept, takes center stage.

However, the first conceptual art exhibition is considered to be an exhibition by the American artist Mel Bochner from 1966, which took place in the gallery of the School of Visual Arts in New York .

It was Bochner's first exhibition, for “Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art” he had photographed design drawings, notes, sketches and other material from friendly minimalist artists, e.g. an invoice from Donald Judd for $3,051.16, collected the prints in four black folders and displayed them on four pedestals.

"conceptual art" culminated in four important exhibitions in 1969 and in Lucy Lippard's essay " Six Years: the dematerialization of the art object from 1966 to 1972" , in which the American art historian precisely describes the conceptual art movement of that time.

Since then, many famous conceptual artists from around the world have presented their works. To learn how these fit into the definition just presented and what great importance conceptual art has in today's art world, read the Art-o-Gram article “Conceptual Artists and the Significance of Conceptual Art” .

Conceptual art today

The conceptual art movement is formally associated with the conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s. However, it continues to be present in the artistic production of many contemporary artists.

Even in the 21st century, artists who may not define themselves as conceptual create Conceptual Art . The influence of Conceptualism can be found both in the tendencies towards a socio-political or institutional critique of the artwork, and in the use of ideas and information as media for defining art.

Her artistic language can be found in modern installation art, performance art, earth art, or digital and video art.

Important conceptual artists and their most important works

Among the most important works of Conceptual Art is undoubtedly Sol LeWitt 's "Wall Drawing #46" . The work consists of written instructions from the artist: "Vertical lines, not straight, do not touch, cover the wall evenly" , which can then be executed by the viewer.

The artist is not directly involved in the creation and physical embodiment of the work.

Joseph Kosuth 's "One and Three Chairs" is another groundbreaking work of conceptual art. This work consists of a chair, a life-size photograph of the chair, and a dictionary definition of the word "chair."

This concept is intended to encourage viewers to ask themselves: What constitutes the "chair"—is it the object, the definition, or the photograph, or is it all three? Kosuth also refers to the way language is constructed and how words acquire meaning when applied to objects.

Among the most influential pioneers of conceptual art were also the performance artist Allan Kaprow (1927-2006), known for his “Happenings,” and Andy Warhol  (1928-1987). Both artists used conceptualism in various forms (see Gallerix ).

Recent examples of conceptualism include the word art of Barbara Kruger and Christopher Wool , as well as the stirring body art of Marina Abramovic (born 1946).

Famous artists associated with Conceptualism:

Yves Klein , whose works Aerostatic Sculpture  (1957, Paris), in which 1001 blue balloons were released into the sky by the Iris Clert Gallery. The following year, Klein claimed that his paintings were now invisible and demonstrated this by exhibiting an empty space (Le Vide, the Void) – an early example of installation art.

Stanley Brouwn , famous for his artistic statement of 1960 that all shoe stores in Amsterdam contained an exhibition of his work.

Piero Manzoni , who scandalized the art world in 1961 by exhibiting his own excrement containers. He also exhibited balloons filled with his breath. Another of his unconventional techniques was to sign his clients' bodies, thus turning them into living works of art.

Christo and Jeanne -Claude Javacheff , Bulgarian sculptor and conceptualist, became famous for his 1962 work " Iron Curtain."  It was a barrier made of oil barrels erected in a narrow Parisian street, causing traffic jams. He explained that the "art" lay not in the barricade itself, but in the resulting traffic congestion.

Yoko Ono “ Grapefruit” in 1964 book with instructions and drawings describing how to achieve an aesthetic experience by cutting and eating grapefruits.

John Baldessari , known for his 1970 film, in which a series of intellectually important observations on the conceptual art of Sol LeWitt by popular pieces such as “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Camptown Races” .

Douglas Huebler , known for his 1970s exhibition of 12 photographs taken every two minutes while he drove his car down a road for 24 minutes.

Judy Chicago , the leading feminist artist of the 1970s, created the conceptual installation "The Dinner Party ." This work consisted of a triangular banquet table with 39 place settings for important female figures in history. The names of 999 others were carved into the floor tiles beneath the table.

Walter De Maria , who in 1977 sank a one-kilometer-long brass rod into the ground in northern Germany and called the result the Vertical Earth Kilometer. The “art” therefore exists in people's minds.

Christopher Williams , known for his 1989 work. This comprised a series of monochrome photographs of specimens encased in glass from Harvard's Botanical Museum, selected from a list of the thirty-six countries that recorded political disappearance in 1985.

Tracey Emin created a popular example of postmodern art with her installation “ My Bed, ” whose 1999 exhibition was nominated for the Turner Prize. It consisted of an unmade bed littered with personal items such as condoms, bloodstained panties, bottles, and slippers.

Martin Creed , the postmodern Scottish artist, won the Turner Prize in 2001 for his conceptual artwork “ 227: The Lights Going On and Off.” Nine years later, the creator donated this rare work, consisting of an empty room with a flickering lightbulb and accompanying instructions, to the nation. Despite being ridiculed by a number of art critics and egged by one of Creed’s envious artistic rivals, this conceptual masterpiece has since been exhibited in some of the world’s leading galleries, most recently at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

Other postmodern artists who have used conceptualism in their work include: Giovanni Anselmo (born 1934), Daniel Buren (born 1938), Michael Craig-Martin (born 1941), Gilbert & George (born 1943; born 1942), On Kawara (born 1932), Giuseppe Penone (born 1947), Cindy Sherman (born 1954) and Martin Creed (born 1968).