In 1967, artist Sol LeWitt wrote that in “Conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work.” He was giving a name to an art movement that had emerged in the 1960s in which artists were less focused on their medium being something traditionally “artistic” and instead engaged in using any object, movement, form, action or place to express an idea.
LeWitt’s work was featured alongside an assemblage of notes, drawings and outlines by other artists in “Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art,” a groundbreaking show at New York City’s School of Visual Arts curated by Mel Bochner, another leading exponent of Conceptualism. Building on radical 20th-century statements, like Fountain (1917) by French artist Marcel Duchamp, Conceptual artists around Europe and North and South America were not interested in the commercial art scene and rather directly challenged its systems and values.
Stretching into the 1970s, this movement has also been called Post-Object art and Dematerialized art. Conceptual art reflected a larger era of social and political upheaval. Pieces associated with the style range from Roelof Louw’s Soul City (Pyramid of Oranges) (1967) — a work of installation art that sees fresh oranges stacked into a pyramid from which visitors are allowed to take one orange away — to On Kawara’s “Today” series, which saw the Japanese artist carefully painting a date in white acrylic on canvases consisting of a single color from 1966 to his death in 2014. Artists such as Ed Ruscha, who created the Twentysix Gasoline Stations book — a collection of photos of gas stations that is widely said to be the first modern artists’ book — made photography a major platform for Conceptual art, as did Bruce Nauman, who burned one of Ruscha's books and then photographed it for his own.
Conceptual art’s legacy of questioning artistic authorship, ownership and how to work with complex ideas of space and time had a significant influence on the decades of culture that followed, and it continues to inform art today.
The collection of Conceptual photography, paintings and sculptures on 1stDibs includes artworks by John Baldessari, Jenny Holzer, Lawrence Weiner, Joseph Kosuth and others.
Dialogo / diagonal
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Lidzie Alvisa Jiménez (Havana in 1969), one of the most recognized conceptual artists in Cuba, studied from the elementary level to the ISA (Superior Institute of Art), graduating in...
Paper, Ink, Pins
Sin título, rhythm, pins,
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Lidzie Alvisa Jiménez (Havana in 1969), one of the most recognized conceptual artists in Cuba, studied from the elementary level to the ISA (Superior Institute of Art), graduating in...
Paper, Ink, Pins
Sin título, rhythm, pins,
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Lidzie Alvisa Jiménez (Havana in 1969), one of the most recognized conceptual artists in Cuba, studied from the elementary level to the ISA (Superior Institute of Art), graduating in...
Paper, Ink, Pins
Arrítmico
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Lidzie Alvisa Jiménez (Havana in 1969), one of the most recognized conceptual artists in Cuba, studied from the elementary level to the ISA (Superior Institute of Art), graduating in...
Paper, Ink, Pins
$1,400
Ritmo
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Lidzie Alvisa Jiménez (Havana in 1969), one of the most recognized conceptual artists in Cuba, studied from the elementary level to the ISA (Superior Institute of Art), graduating in...
Paper, Ink, Pins
Sin título, rhythm, pins,
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Lidzie Alvisa Jiménez (Havana in 1969), one of the most recognized conceptual artists in Cuba, studied from the elementary level to the ISA (Superior Institute of Art), graduating in...
Paper, Ink, Pins
Un alto
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Lidzie Alvisa Jiménez (Havana in 1969), one of the most recognized conceptual artists in Cuba, studied from the elementary level to the ISA (Superior Institute of Art), graduating in...
Paper, Ink, Pins
Introspección
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
JUANA MARTÍNEZ (Tlalpujajua, Michoacán, 1953) Lives and works in Tlalpujahua, Michoacán. Juana lives in an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere, ...
Magazine Paper
El poder de la ofrenda
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
JUANA MARTÍNEZ (Tlalpujajua, Michoacán, 1953) Lives and works in Tlalpujahua, Michoacán. Juana lives in an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere, ...
Magazine Paper
Mesh Wonder Ball (1510)
By Joanne Ungar
Located in New York, NY
beeswax, paraffin, cardboard on wood 8.25"x7.75" Joanne Ungar’s use of wax obscures and mystifies the origin of the materials she has imbedded. In this work, the composition is d...
Cardboard, Wax, Wood
El paseo de la niña
Located in Barcelona, CT
the painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Color
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with work and authenticity certificate
Metal
Untitled
By Lluis Barba
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Mixed Media
Shaping the Essence, Aluminum Sculpture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
JORGE WELLESELEY "Shaping the Essence", 2019 Aluminum, concrete, LED 13.25 x 10 x 10 in Ed: 1/3 + 1AP Jorge Wellesley (Havana, 1979) Cuban-born artist based in Guttenberg, New Je...
Concrete, Metal
Empty Words, Sculpture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
JORGE WELLESELEY, Empty Words, 2009 Rusted steel, concrete Sculpture 17.5 x 18 x 12 in Jorge Wellesley (Havana, 1979) Cuban-born artist based in Guttenberg, New Jersey. He received...
Concrete, Steel
$9,500
The Gift
By Chad Knight
Located in New York, NY
Digital Art. Female form in water. See reflection. Produced on metal with white 2 inch border. About the Artist: Chad is more than just a freelance artist, he is the Head of ...
Metal
$9,500
Greater Good
By Chad Knight
Located in New York, NY
Digital Art. Female form in landscape. Produced on metal with white 2 inch border. About the Artist: Chad is more than just a freelance artist, he is the Head of 3D Design at Nike and not so long ago retired from an exciting career as a professional skateboarder that ran from 1998-2011. Nowadays, when he isn’t working for Nike, his unique artwork is enjoyed by people around the world. Chad Knight...
Metal
Dwellings 5
Located in New York, NY
This series “Dwellings” is comprised of pieces of mixed media on wood panels. The artist uses wood panels 5 x 5 inches each as base that is painted ei...
Wood, Paper, Acrylic, Permanent Marker, Monoprint
Price Upon Request
Niayendu
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Hand woven tapestry: wool, dyes
Tapestry, Wool, Dye
Price Upon Request
Stars and Stripes - SOLD - Commission Available
Located in New York, NY
Pop Art. Mixed Media sketch on paper. Floats on white matte and framed with white frame. A celebration of America via the Flag. Vintage feel. Background from artists vintage ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
Long Line - Original by Craig Alan
By Craig Alan
Located in New York, NY
Mixed Media Original with resin finish from world renowned artist with unique, one of a kind style. Homage to apple. Humorous. About the Artist: In his prolific career is a cu...
Resin, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
My World
By Craig Alan
Located in New York, NY
Mixed Media Original with resin finish from world renowned artist with unique, one of a kind style. About the Artist: In his prolific career is a culmination of textbook artistic...
Resin, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
Life Happens
By Craig Alan
Located in New York, NY
Mixed Media Original with resin finish from world renowned artist with unique, one of a kind style. Homage to the late great Amy Winehouse. About the Artist: In his prolific car...
Resin, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
@Anonymous
Located in New York, NY
@Anonymous 2014 Neon 28 x 25 x 0.5