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Conceptual Art

CONCEPTUAL STYLE

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.

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Style: Conceptual
Gaze of Ambition - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Gaze of Ambition - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Unbridled Joy - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Unbridled Joy - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

She is my best
She is my best

She is my best

Located in Zofingen, AG

The painting “My Best” - where chickens appear as women - symbolizes the relationship between a man and a woman. A man leading a chicken on a leash symbolizes his attitude towards hi...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Oscar Niemeyer Staircase, Light Pastel Tones Interior Architecture, Still-Life
Oscar Niemeyer Staircase, Light Pastel Tones Interior Architecture, Still-Life

Oscar Niemeyer Staircase, Light Pastel Tones Interior Architecture, Still-Life

By Ryan Rivadeneyra

Located in Barcelona, ES

"Sexy Miami Futuristic Cocktail Lounge" is a series of photographs by Ryan Rivadeneyra inspired by the Art Deco colors of Miami that show beautiful objects and textures arranged meti...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Giclée, Archival Pigment

YES - large format photograph of conceptual motivational sign at night
YES - large format photograph of conceptual motivational sign at night

YES - large format photograph of conceptual motivational sign at night

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

large scale original photograph from a series of conceptual motivational messages on classic Americana billboard signs in iconic landscape of the American West YES by Frank Schott ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée

Random Thought
Random Thought

Random Thought

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

"Random Thought," a captivating creation by artist John Ali, invites viewers into the enigmatic realm of introspection. The artwork features a young man, his head covered with nylon, adorned by an intricate African bead necklace...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Orange Storefront, Project, Ediciones Poligrafa, 1979
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Orange Storefront, Project, Ediciones Poligrafa, 1979

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Orange Storefront, Project, Ediciones Poligrafa, 1979

By Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Christo and Jeanne-Claude (1935–2020; 1935–2009), titled Facade de magasin orange, projet (Orange Storefront, Project), from the album Ediciones Poligraf...

Category

1970s Conceptual Art

Materials

Lithograph

YES - large format photograph of conceptual motivational message sign at night
YES - large format photograph of conceptual motivational message sign at night

YES - large format photograph of conceptual motivational message sign at night

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

large scale original photograph from a series of conceptual motivational messages on iconic Americana signs in landscape of the American West YES by Frank Schott 48 x 67 inches (122 x 171cm) signed edition of 7 29 x 40 inches (74 x 102cm) signed edition of 25 archival quality fine art pigment print limited art edition published by Edition EKTAlux artist signed + numbered certificate of authenticity _______________ Frank Schott grew up in Germany and attended the prestigious Academy of Arts in Cologne, studying under Professor Arno Jansen, who was an early influence. Moving to California in 1998, Schott's work has evolved to include the epic landscapes and deserts of the American West as well as architectural, conceptual and more formal environments from both home and his travels. Influenced by a number of photographic peers and precursors such as Candida Höfer, Andreas Gursky, Thomas Struth, Jeff Wall, Ed Rusha...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Giclée, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment

Fragments of Light - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Fragments of Light - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Dialogue
Dialogue

Dialogue

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

"Dialogue," a thought-provoking creation by artist John Ali, beckons viewers into a realm of symbolism and introspection. The artwork features a young man with his head covered in ny...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Under construction", Original painting with concrete on paper, Art Povera
"Under construction", Original painting with concrete on paper, Art Povera

"Under construction", Original painting with concrete on paper, Art Povera

Located in Carballo, ES

This new series of works by the multidisciplinary artist TUSET (1997, A Coruña) shows us a completely unique dynamic. In these works he uses the concrete of the construction as picto...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Concrete

Niemand and Soldier Duo
Niemand and Soldier Duo

Niemand and Soldier Duo

Located in Denver, CO

"Niemand and Soldier Duo" is of a limited edition of 25 works, edition 17/25 and signed. The Duo will be shipped directly from the artist's studio in Slovakia to your location. Ship...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Polyurethane

Reinhard Görner 'Francke Foundations II' (Library, Halle, Germany)
Reinhard Görner 'Francke Foundations II' (Library, Halle, Germany)

Reinhard Görner 'Francke Foundations II' (Library, Halle, Germany)

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

This large-scale architectural photograph by German photographer Reinhard Görner depicts the Francke Foundations library in Halle, Germany. Arches open like portals into the interior, bringing public cultural heritage into private space in the rich, aged tones of wood and marble, taupe, blue and gray. Reinhard Görner is known for invoking an atmosphere of awe, meditation and contemplation through crisp, richly detailed scenes of grand historical and cultural public narratives. This effect is enhanced through aesthetically striking compositions, which might include stunningly perfect (or interestingly-off) symmetry, portals through a series of doorways, and other careful choices of perspective and scale. Reinhard Görner Francke Foundations II Halle, Germany 2014 50 x 52.6 inches ed. of 10 $6,000 60 x 63.2 inches ed. of 7 $9,000 70 x 73.7 inches ed. of 5 $11,000 signed and numbered on label, verso Paper is trimmed to the image: actual image size listed Internal Search: Reinhard Görner, Library series, Halle, Germany, Large-Scale Photography, Large-scale German photography, German Libraries, German Monuments...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Lambda, C Print

Revival Ramp, Conceptual Mixed Media Print by Mel Chin
Revival Ramp, Conceptual Mixed Media Print by Mel Chin

Revival Ramp, Conceptual Mixed Media Print by Mel Chin

By Mel Chin

Located in Long Island City, NY

Mel Chin, American (1951 - ) - Revival Ramp, Year: 1996, Medium: Etching, Engraving, Photoetching and Lithograph on Arches, signed, titled, numbered and dated in pencil, Edition: ...

Category

1990s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching, Lithograph

Raspail Red, Paris Metro Series
Raspail Red, Paris Metro Series

Raspail Red, Paris Metro Series

Located in Surfside, FL

these are original (signed with initials) proof prints c-print on Fuji crystal archive paper. there is some minor wear to the surface but it cannot be photographed and will probabl...

Category

1990s Conceptual Art

Materials

C Print

Revival Ramp (B&W), Conceptual Mixed Media Print by Mel Chin
Revival Ramp (B&W), Conceptual Mixed Media Print by Mel Chin

Revival Ramp (B&W), Conceptual Mixed Media Print by Mel Chin

By Mel Chin

Located in Long Island City, NY

Mel Chin, American (1951 - ) - Revival Ramp (B&W), Year: 1996, Medium: Etching, Engraving, Photoetching and Lithograph on Arches, signed, numbered and dated in pencil, Edition:...

Category

1990s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching, Lithograph

Sky ( artist framed ) - large scale abstract gradient monochromatic photograph
Sky ( artist framed ) - large scale abstract gradient monochromatic photograph

Sky ( artist framed ) - large scale abstract gradient monochromatic photograph

Located in San Francisco, CA

large scale monochromatic abstract observation of mesmerizing atmospheric color palette, from Raymond Meier's series Renderings Sky (Rendings 04) by Ray...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper

Steadfast Gaze 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Girl
Steadfast Gaze 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Girl

Steadfast Gaze 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Girl

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

MERCANTILISM
MERCANTILISM

MERCANTILISM

Located in Zofingen, AG

This painting depicts abundance in two dimensions: material abundance, symbolized by golden eggs, and spiritual abundance, because our greatest wealth is our children, the continuati...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Shapeshifter No16 Archival Pigment Print, Conceptual, Signed, 2023
Shapeshifter No16 Archival Pigment Print, Conceptual, Signed, 2023

Shapeshifter No16 Archival Pigment Print, Conceptual, Signed, 2023

Located in Vancouver, CA

Jennifer Latour Shapeshifter no16, 2023 Edition of 7 plus 2 artist proofs. Signed in pencil by the artist. Archival pigment print mounted to Dibond, UV laminated, with cleat. Descri...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Caius Flavius from The Romans by Enrico Baj
Caius Flavius from The Romans by Enrico Baj

Caius Flavius from The Romans by Enrico Baj

By Enrico Baj

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Enrico Baj, Italian (1924 - 2003) Title: Caius Flavius Valerius Claudius Constantinus Year: 1972 Medium: Aquatint Etching with Collage, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition:...

Category

1970s Conceptual Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Etching, Aquatint

Harvest
Harvest

Harvest

Located in Zofingen, AG

This painting depicts a wide sky filled with clouds above a brown field, where orange chickens are scattered across the land, improvising as if pecking at the soil. The repetitive mo...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Garment of Hope 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Girl
Garment of Hope 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Girl

Garment of Hope 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Girl

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

"Garment of Hope," a poignant masterpiece crafted by the skilled hands of artist John Ali, invites viewers into a world where innocence and resilience converge. This evocative artwor...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Pearl of Heritage - 21st Century Mixed Media with Oil and African Women Fabrics
Pearl of Heritage - 21st Century Mixed Media with Oil and African Women Fabrics

Pearl of Heritage - 21st Century Mixed Media with Oil and African Women Fabrics

By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bakare Babatund...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic

Ascending Joy - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Girl

Ascending Joy - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Girl

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Self-Portrait (Bison and Hare), Conceptual Etching by Mel Chin
Self-Portrait (Bison and Hare), Conceptual Etching by Mel Chin

Self-Portrait (Bison and Hare), Conceptual Etching by Mel Chin

By Mel Chin

Located in Long Island City, NY

Mel Chin, American (1951 - ) - Self-Portrait (Bison and Hare), Year: 1996, Medium: Etching on BFK Rives, signed, numbered and dated in pencil, Edition: 25, Image Size: 11 x 21.5 ...

Category

1990s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching

Next Sign, Large Format Color Photograph, Signed Edition of 7, 48x64"
Next Sign, Large Format Color Photograph, Signed Edition of 7, 48x64"

Next Sign, Large Format Color Photograph, Signed Edition of 7, 48x64"

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

Next Sign by Frank Schott from a series of works capturing conceptual roadside signs in iconic American landscapes captured with a large format camera to allow epic scale print s...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée

Crimson Contemplation - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Crimson Contemplation - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Pont Neuf 1985 (1995-2020) (signed)
Pont Neuf 1985 (1995-2020) (signed)

Pont Neuf 1985 (1995-2020) (signed)

By Christo

Located in Woodbury, CT

Christo and Jeanne-Claude Pont Neuf, 2020 Lithograph, Edition of 450 Signed and numbered in pencil to margin Published to coincide with the artist's exhibition at the Centre Pompido...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Lithograph

Decorate!
Decorate!

Decorate!

Located in Zofingen, AG

The painting “Decorate!” is a reflection on the power of female presence in the world and a call to action. Against the backdrop of a light gray sky with light clouds, the earth stre...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Clouds and Early Moon
Clouds and Early Moon

Clouds and Early Moon

By Greg Decker

Located in Atlanta, GA

Greg's witty and charming oil painting on aluminium comes framed in a floater frame which adds 1.75 inches all the way around. "Greg Decker is a visionary painter. His work epitomise...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Metal

Reinhard Görner, Sleeping Beauty, Old National Gallery, Berlin

Reinhard Görner, Sleeping Beauty, Old National Gallery, Berlin

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

60 x 45 inches ed. of 5 $6,000 80 x 60 inches ed. of 5 $9,000 93.2 x 70 inches ed. of 5 $11,000 signed and numbered on label, verso Reinhard Görner, with his large format photographs orchestrates the monumentality of historical architecture, gardens, and masterpieces. An active architecture photographer since 1985, is a master of perspectives and precise spatial compositions, and he thus considers classical sculpture, in all of its possible facets, a special challenge. "Görner’s photographs sometimes open the doors to another world and take the viewer with them on a journey through time. Here the palace is no longer a museum but both royal residence and a site steeped in history. The viewer does not have to share the halls with the masses of visitors; instead the images offer him exclusive impressions of the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) and the Galerie des Batailles (Hall of Battles) as even the king of France was probably never granted. The halls are empty of people, yet they seem to be able to unfurl their individual characters of their own accord. These places practically breathe history, and this aspect is also part of the essence captured in the photographs. King Wilhelm of Prussia was named German Emperor Wilhelm I in the Hall of Mirrors after France was defeated in 1870–1871 in the Franco-German War. The Treaty of Versailles following World War I was also signed there in 1919. In this sense, the architectural photographs of Versailles’s ceremonial rooms have an edge on Renaissance paintings; here even a sense of world history arises within the viewer – one which continues to exert an influence today". Horst Klöver Notes on the Old National Gallery and Sleeping Beauty: The Old National Gallery (Alte Nationalgalerie) is the original home of the Nationalgalerie, whose collections today are divided between the New National Gallery, the Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum for Contemporary Art – Berlin, the Friedrichswerder Church, Museum Berggruen and the Collection Scharf-Gerstenberg. The idea of establishing a cultural and educational centre across from the Berlin Palace...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Lambda

Found Object Wall Sculpture/Relief by Gertie Lowe
Found Object Wall Sculpture/Relief by Gertie Lowe

Found Object Wall Sculpture/Relief by Gertie Lowe

By Gertie Lowe

Located in Long Island City, NY

Wall sculpture assemblage by Gertie Lowe, from 1978, is a conceptual abstract with everyday objects. Muted neutral tones are contrasted with vibrant accents. Signed and dated verso...

Category

1970s Conceptual Art

Materials

Plastic, Wood

Everyone has their own paradise
Everyone has their own paradise

Everyone has their own paradise

Located in Zofingen, AG

The subtext of the work points to two types of personal involvement: - blindly following mass ideas, which often lead to undesirable consequences; - independent choice and the abilit...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Original Cordial Topaze Bordeaux red wine, 1924 lithograph  vintage poster
Original Cordial Topaze Bordeaux red wine, 1924 lithograph  vintage poster

Original Cordial Topaze Bordeaux red wine, 1924 lithograph vintage poster

Located in Spokane, WA

Original French poster: CORDIAL TOPAZE; Marie Brizard & Roger Bordeaux wine; original lithographic French 1924 antique poster. Signed but an illegible signature. Size: 18" x 24"...

Category

1920s Conceptual Art

Materials

Lithograph

Conceptual art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Conceptual art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Reinhard Görner, Kojun, Jose Sierra, and xulong zhang. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Conceptual art, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available. Prices for art made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $45 and tops out at $500,000, while the average work sells for $2,465.