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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
Biblioteca Archiginnasio II

Biblioteca Archiginnasio II

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Biblioteca Archiginnasio Bologna, Italy 2022 62.5 x 50 inches ed. of 10 $6,000 75 x 60 inches ed. of 7 $9,000 87 x 70 inches ed. of 5 $11,000 signed and numbered on label, verso Reinhard Görner records cultural and industrial heritage through his series of photographs depicting contemporary and historical architecture, landscapes, parks, and plants. Best known for his photographs of libraries and reading rooms from around the world—in works such as George Peabody Library II, Baltimore (2017) and Riggs Library I, Washington DC (2017)—Görner captures the atmosphere of absolute silence and concentration the spaces embody while also revealing their almost cathedral-like sense of grandeur. Görner’s images have a vivid sense of depth and dimension that convey an impression of intimacy, as in Isaac Newton, Cambridge (2017), or monumentality via his precise and skilful use of framing and perspective. This stunning photograph captures a vista through the storied volumes, intricately painted walls, and doorways inside the Biblioteca comunale dell'Archiginnasio (Archiginnasio Municipal Library). The Biblioteca Archiginnasio is a public library located inside the Palace of the Archiginnasio in Bologna, Italy. The largest library in Emilia-Romagna, it boasts some 850,000 volumes and pamphlets, 2,500 incunabula, 15,000 16th century editions, 8,500 manuscripts and then letters, collections of autographs, prints and drawings, and 250 archives. The library has also a section of 7,500 magazines. In 1838 a section of the building was destined to preserve the books collected from Napoleon's closure of the religious orders. Fabled patrons include the cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, Giovanni Gozzadini, Marco Minghetti, Giovanni Pascoli, Jacob Moleschott, Luigi Serra, Laura Bassi, Aurelio Saffi, Riccardo Bacchelli, Pelagio Palagi...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

C Print, Lambda

Biblioteca Archiginnasio I

Biblioteca Archiginnasio I

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Biblioteca Archiginnasio Bologna, Italy 2022 62.5 x 50 inches ed. of 10 $6,000 75 x 60 inches ed. of 7 $9,000 87 x 70 inches ed. of 5 $11,000 signed and numbered on label, verso ...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

C Print, Lambda

Security Walls, Minimalist Etching by Robert Morris
Security Walls, Minimalist Etching by Robert Morris

Security Walls, Minimalist Etching by Robert Morris

By Robert Morris

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Robert Morris, American (1931 - ) Title: Security Walls from In the Realm of the Carceral Year: 1978 Medium: Aquatint Etching, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 150, AP ...

Category

1970s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Birdy Dream, The Dream Art Project
Birdy Dream, The Dream Art Project

Birdy Dream, The Dream Art Project

By Anne Valverde

Located in New York, NY

The photograph is available in three sizes. The print is proposed as a face-mount; it is mounted to acrylic at the front and Dibond at the back. It is ready to hang with a metal bracket on the wall. "Birdy Dream," a photograph by Anne Valverde, captures the ethereal beauty of a mist-enshrouded forest, with the word 'dream' crafted in neon lights, seamlessly integrated into the landscape. Valverde's artistry is evident in her ability to blend the artificial glow of neon with the organic forms of nature, creating a harmonious tableau that whispers of the unseen and the imagined. The forest scene is alive with varying textures of foliage, dominated by the large fronds of ferns that fan out across the frame. The mist rolls through the trees like a gentle tide, blurring lines and softening the world to a palette of muted greens and grays. In this dreamscape, the neon 'dream' is both a literal and figurative illumination—a call to the magic that lies in the heart of the wild. The neon text, positioned amongst the forest floor, is like a secret waiting to be discovered, a reminder that even in the dense and tangled growth, there is space for dreams to take root and flourish. The soft light from the sign pierces the fog, symbolizing clarity and hope amidst uncertainty. Valverde's "Birdy Dream" is a tribute to the quiet strength of nature and the power of dreams to persist in even the most unlikely places. It's a visual poem that invites contemplation, asking the observer to consider the myriad of dreams that live hidden beneath the canopy, in the soul of the forest, and within us all. Since 2015, Valverde has been working on a neon light installation project in several countries, which she materialises through photography. The DREAM ART PROJECT Her portfolio “City Icons” in 2008 brought her work to public attention. A series about Iconic Monuments from Major cities like Paris, New York, Hong Kong, London, Dubaï… Writing with Neon brings together two passions for Anne Valverde: light and words thus incorporating her main medium of expression: Photography. Valverde brings artificial light to areas where electricity is absent, creating a dissonance in the landscape and an unexpected and dreamlike light, creating a new message, independent from preexisting signs and words. Valverde’s first message is "dream", as she invites the viewer to go past reality and reflect on open spaces for escape in a complex and tormented world. Some themes are recurring: an amused gaze on social media omnipresence, hyper-connectivity or even office language shortcuts. This contemplation of the natural landscape suddenly opens up to a perspective on social evolution. By inserting neon lights in her photographs, she initiates a return...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Acrylic Polymer, Neon Light, Archival Paper, Photogra...

Xólotl en la caverna
Xólotl en la caverna

Xólotl en la caverna

By Erik Perez

Located in Mexico City, CDMX

An innate and atypical landscape artist, Eric Pérez is an intellectual who paints. He knows and loves Mexican and world history, from which he derives his contemporary context. His p...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mouse and Chair, Etching by Donald Saff
Mouse and Chair, Etching by Donald Saff

Mouse and Chair, Etching by Donald Saff

By Donald Saff

Located in Long Island City, NY

Mouse and Chair Donald Saff, American (1937) Date: 1980 Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 50 Image Size: 24 x 18.5 inches Size: 30 in. x 22 in. (76.2 cm x 55.88 cm)

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching

Action Figure, Etching by Donald Saff
Action Figure, Etching by Donald Saff

Action Figure, Etching by Donald Saff

By Donald Saff

Located in Long Island City, NY

Action Figure Donald Saff, American (1937) Date: 1980 Etching with Aquatint, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 50 Image Size: 18 x 15 inches Size: 30 in. x 22 in. (76.2 cm x 5...

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching

Zebra, Etching by Donald Saff

Zebra, Etching by Donald Saff

By Donald Saff

Located in Long Island City, NY

Zebra Donald Saff, American (1937) Date: 1980 Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 50 Image Size: 24 x 18.5 inches Size: 39 in. x 27.5 in. (99.06 cm x 69.85 cm)

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching

Toucan (Color), Etching by Donald Saff
Toucan (Color), Etching by Donald Saff

Toucan (Color), Etching by Donald Saff

By Donald Saff

Located in Long Island City, NY

Toucan (Color) Donald Saff, American (1937) Date: 1980 Aquatint Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 50 Image Size: 24 x 18.5 inches Size: 39 in. x 27.5 in. (99.06 cm x ...

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Elephant (Color), Etching by Donald Saff
Elephant (Color), Etching by Donald Saff

Elephant (Color), Etching by Donald Saff

By Donald Saff

Located in Long Island City, NY

Elephant (Color) Donald Saff, American (1937) Date: 1980 Aquatint Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 50 Image Size: 24 x 18.5 inches Size: 39 in. x 27.5 in. (99.06 cm ...

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Zebra (Color), Etching by Donald Saff

Zebra (Color), Etching by Donald Saff

By Donald Saff

Located in Long Island City, NY

Zebra (Color) Donald Saff, American (1937) Date: 1980 Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 50 Image Size: 24 x 18.5 inches Size: 39 in. x 27.5 in. (99.06 cm x 69.85 cm)

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching

Leopard, Etching by Donald Saff

Leopard, Etching by Donald Saff

By Donald Saff

Located in Long Island City, NY

Leopard Donald Saff, American (1937) Date: 1980 Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 110 Image Size: 24 x 18 inches Size: 30 in. x 22.5 in. (76.2 cm x 57.15 cm)

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching

Dollmaker, Etching by Donald Saff

Dollmaker, Etching by Donald Saff

By Donald Saff

Located in Long Island City, NY

Dollmaker Donald Saff, American (1937) Date: circa 1980 Etching with Aquatint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 150 Size: 30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.88 cm)

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Mouse and Chair (Color), Etching by Donald Saff
Mouse and Chair (Color), Etching by Donald Saff

Mouse and Chair (Color), Etching by Donald Saff

By Donald Saff

Located in Long Island City, NY

Mouse and Chair (Color) Donald Saff, American (1937) Date: circa 1980 Aquatint Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 50 Image Size: 23.5 x 18.5 inches Size: 39 in. x 27.5...

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Tea time with buttery cookies
Tea time with buttery cookies

Tea time with buttery cookies

By paola vignola

Located in Barcelona, CT

This artwork features a vibrant diptych contrasting two panels. The left panel showcases two stylized roosters in orange and cream, set against a vivid pink backdrop. Their swirling,...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Acrylic

Singularity
Singularity

Singularity

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Singularity. Natalia Pustovit. Fhenomenal artwork concept Singularity is the point at which a mathematical function tends to infinity. A woman is that point, which is the conduc...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Elia Panori, "Mirrors", original painting, 60x60 cm
Elia Panori, "Mirrors", original painting, 60x60 cm

Elia Panori, "Mirrors", original painting, 60x60 cm

Located in Milano, MI

In “Mirrors”, Elia Panori creates a suspended and quiet composition, where organic forms float across a neutral, textured surface. Oval shapes, reminiscent of eggs or polished stones...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Board

Andy & Rob

Andy & Rob

By Steve Joester

Located in New York, NY

Mixed Media on wood featuring the famed Andy Warhol. Photographed by Joester. Images on sides as well. Not framed. About the Artist: Steve Joester is a British-born Rock & ...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Photographic Film, Mixed Media

Symphony of Color
Symphony of Color

Symphony of Color

By paola vignola

Located in Barcelona, CT

This striking abstract artwork features bold vertical streaks of color, commanding attention with its textural richness and energetic composition. Dominating the canvas are layered b...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Acrylic, Wood

Lips among bamboo
Lips among bamboo

Lips among bamboo

By paola vignola

Located in Barcelona, CT

The artwork showcases a striking composition featuring vertical stripes in earthy tones of green, brown, and beige, which create a harmonizing background. The distinct feature is the...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Loo Louvre
Loo Louvre

Loo Louvre

By Dave Quick

Located in Santa Monica, CA

There are two individual lights on this classic assemblage work depicting a bathroom within a bathroom within a bathroom.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Reinhard Görner 'Inter Arma Charitas' Lisbon, Portugal

Reinhard Görner 'Inter Arma Charitas' Lisbon, Portugal

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Reinhard Görner Inter Arma Charitas Lisbon, Portugal 2014 50 x 50 inches ed. of 10 $6,000 60 x 60 inches ed. of 7 $9,000 70 x 70 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

C Print, Lambda

Reinhard Görner 'Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid, Spain' (Library, Madrid)

Reinhard Görner 'Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid, Spain' (Library, Madrid)

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Reinhard Görner Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid 2017 55 x 50 inches ed. of 10 $6,000 66 x 60 inches ed. of 7 $9,000 77 x 70 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, Madrid, Spain, Large-Scale Photography, Large-scale German photography, Spanish Libraries...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

C Print, Lambda

Reinhard Görner 'Menendez y Pelayo' Madrid

Reinhard Görner 'Menendez y Pelayo' Madrid

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Reinhard Görner Menendez y Pelayo Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid 2017 40 x 60 inches ed. of 10 $6,000 50 x 75 inches ed. of 7 $9,000 signed and numbered on label, verso Paper is tri...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

C Print, Lambda

Reinhard Görner 'Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid, Spain' (Library, Madrid)

Reinhard Görner 'Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid, Spain' (Library, Madrid)

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Reinhard Görner Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid 2017 55 x 50 inches ed. of 10 $6,000 66 x 60 inches ed. of 7 $9,000 77 x 70 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, Madrid, Spain, Large-Scale Photography, Large-scale German photography, Spanish Libraries...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

C Print, Lambda

Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions - Mad Magazine -Table for How Many Restaurant
Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions - Mad Magazine -Table for How Many Restaurant

Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions - Mad Magazine -Table for How Many Restaurant

Located in Miami, FL

"Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" is one of Al Jaffee's signature series. This work was a double-page work that appeared on pages 60 - 61 in Mad Magazine in 1968. Although this w...

Category

1960s Conceptual Art

Materials

Ink, Gouache, Illustration Board, Pen

Traveling Landscape (Sunseeker)
Traveling Landscape (Sunseeker)

Traveling Landscape (Sunseeker)

By Kathleen Vance

Located in New York, NY

This sculptural installation incorporates running water and and interior light which activates the scene of a streambed along a grassy knoll. Kathleen Vance is an environmental artist who creates projects that connect people to local aspects of nature that are overlooked or under appreciated. With the series “Traveling Landscapes” Vance creates miniature landscapes with running streams and rivers inside vintage suitcases and trunks...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Virtue, Bode–Museum, Berlin
Virtue, Bode–Museum, Berlin

Virtue, Bode–Museum, Berlin

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Virtue, Bode–Museum, Berlin 50 x 62.5 inches ed. of 10 $6,000 60 x 75 inches ed. of 5 $9,000 70 x 87.5 inches ed. of 5 $11,000 Signed and numbered on label, verso This artwork is...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Lambda

Elia Panori, "Pelle mitologica", Mixed media, 55x55 cm
Elia Panori, "Pelle mitologica", Mixed media, 55x55 cm

Elia Panori, "Pelle mitologica", Mixed media, 55x55 cm

Located in Milano, MI

"A group of people Pass down a mystery The quest for gold When instinct is destroyed The ego must be healed Finally, death Of the quest for gold" This is the phrase hidden within t...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Board

Colored Columns III: Neue Museum, Berlin

Colored Columns III: Neue Museum, Berlin

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

New Museum, Berlin 62.5 x 50 inches ed. of 10 $6,000 75 x 60 inches ed. of 5 $9,000 87.5 x 70 inches ed. of 5 $11,000 signed and numbered on label, verso Reinhard Görner, with h...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Lambda

Rose Main Reading Room (New York Public Library)
Rose Main Reading Room (New York Public Library)

Rose Main Reading Room (New York Public Library)

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Rose Main Reading Room, 2014 Public Library New York 70 x 88.9 inches Ed. of 5 $11,000 60 x 76.2 inches Ed. of 7 $9,000 50 x 63.5 Ed. of 10 $6,000 signed and numbered on label, v...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Lambda

Hall with Columns, Old National Gallery, Berlin, Architectural Photograph
Hall with Columns, Old National Gallery, Berlin, Architectural Photograph

Hall with Columns, Old National Gallery, Berlin, Architectural Photograph

By Reinhard Görner

Located in Los Angeles, CA

60 x 90 inches ed. of 10 $11,000 signed and numbered on label, verso Reinhard Görner, with his large format photographs orchestrates the monumentality of rooms. 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...

Category

Early 2000s Conceptual Art

Materials

Lambda

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.