Art Encyclopedia - Conceptual Art

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Conceptual Art
Art in which the concept behind the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns is called conceptual art. A conceptual art work can sometimes not entail a physical art object but instead take the form of evidence of the idea expressed by the artist. In conceptual art the idea is the art work. Where traditionally art has been seen as something requiring a special skill to execute, conceptual art may involve little or no skill in its execution.

The first wave of the conceptual art movement extended from approximately 1967 to 1978. In the 1960's conceptual art emerged as an art movement partly as a reaction against formalism as articulated by art critic Clement Greenberg. Conceptual art is also a reaction against the commodification of art and it attempts a subversion of the gallery and museum system as the determiner of art. In 1970 the first dedicated conceptual art exhibition was mounted at the New York Cultural Center. In the 1990's the Young British Artists came to prominence and their work was seen as conceptual art despite relying heavily on the art object to make its impact.

Many contemporary artists are influenced by and have elements of conceptual art in their work. Aspects such as anti-commodification, social and political critic and ideas as medium continue to be important elements in contemporary art.

Some notable conceptual artists include: Michael Asher, John Baldessari, Shahram Entekhabi, Vanessa Beecroft, Joseph Beuys, Mel Bochner, Allan Bridge, Marcel Broodthaers, Victor Burgin, Chris Burden, Maurizio Cattelan, Mark Divo, Marcel Duchamp, Tracey Emin, Gilbert and George, Dan Graham, Hans Haacke, Iris Häussler, Jenny Holzer, Zhang Huan, Douglas Huebler, Ray Johnson, Ilya Kabakov, On Kawara, Yves Klein, Joseph Kosuth, Sol LeWitt and Yoko Ono.