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.
V: Dogmatic thinking (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
V: Dogmatic thinking (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Bra...
Archival Pigment, Paper
VII: Istinto Primordiale (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
VII: Istinto Primordiale (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human...
Archival Pigment, Paper
II. Marvellous Unconsciousness (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
II. Marvellous Unconsciousness (Abstract photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a...
Archival Pigment, Paper
VI: Utter Blindness (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
VI: Utter Blindness (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brai...
Archival Pigment, Paper
IV: Nice (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
IV: Nice (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brain. It was ...
Archival Pigment, Paper
Diversity (Silver)
By Oleg Lobykin
Located in Napa, CA
Oleg Lobykin (Russian, b. 1966) is a sculptor. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Lobykin now resides in Silicon Valley and also specializes in the restoration of landmark architecture ...
Fiberglass
Berlin (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Berlin (Abstract Painting) Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. Peter Soriano works on relatively large sheets of Japanese paper with a tendency to work from so...
Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil
I. Anthropological Purity (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
I. Anthropological Purity (Abstract photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Huma...
Archival Pigment, Paper
VIII: The Unselfconsciousness Of Eros (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
VIII: The Unselfconsciousness Of Eros (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichot...
Archival Pigment, Paper
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Oil
X: Pleasant Dementia (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
X: Pleasant Dementia (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Bra...
Archival Pigment, Paper
L.I.C. (Blue) (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
L.I.C. (Blue) (Abstract painting) Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. L.I.C refers to Long Island City where Soriano currently has his studio. This drawing focuses of objects and elements within it, in particular the remnants of old closets...
Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil
IX: Genesi (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
IX: Genesi (Abstract photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brain. It w...
Archival Pigment, Paper
VII: Istinto Primordiale (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
VII: Istinto Primordiale (Abstract photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human...
Archival Pigment, Paper
III. Deceit of language (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
III. Deceit of language (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human ...
Archival Pigment, Paper
Colby 12 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Colby 12 (Abstract painting) Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. Peter Soriano works on relatively large sheets of Japanese paper with a tendency to work from ...
Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil
IV: Nice (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
IV: Nice (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brain. It was ...
Archival Pigment, Paper
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Oil
$15,013Sale Price|20% Off
III. Deceit of language (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
III. Deceit of language (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human ...
Archival Pigment, Paper
II. Marvellous Unconsciousness (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
II. Marvellous Unconsciousness (Abstract photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a...
Archival Pigment, Paper
VI: Utter Blindness (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
VI: Utter Blindness (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brai...
Archival Pigment, Paper
V: Dogmatic thinking (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
V: Dogmatic thinking (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Bra...
Archival Pigment, Paper
VIII: The Unselfconsciousness Of Eros (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
VIII: The Unselfconsciousness Of Eros (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichot...
Paper, Archival Pigment
$15,013Sale Price|20% Off
I. Anthropological Purity (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
I. Anthropological Purity (Abstract photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Huma...
Archival Pigment, Paper
$19,500
Diversity (Red)
By Oleg Lobykin
Located in Napa, CA
Oleg Lobykin (Russian, b. 1966) is a sculptor. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Lobykin now resides in Silicon Valley and also specializes in the restoration of landmark architecture ...
Fiberglass
II. Marvellous Unconsciousness (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
II. Marvellous Unconsciousness (Abstract photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a...
Archival Pigment, Paper
IX: Genesi (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
IX: Genesi (Abstract photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brain. It w...
Archival Pigment, Paper
X: Pleasant Dementia (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
X: Pleasant Dementia (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Bra...
Archival Pigment, Paper
VII: Istinto Primordiale (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brain. It was created by combining fragments o...
Archival Pigment, Paper
III. Deceit of language (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brain. It was created by combining fragments o...
Archival Pigment, Paper
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...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Board
Colby 12 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. Peter Soriano works on relatively large sheets of Japanese paper with a tendency to work from something observed, ideally ar...
Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil
A Poodle Creates a Portrait of General Idea as Three Pee Holes in the Snow
By General Idea
Located in Toronto, Ontario
General Idea was formed in 1967 in Toronto and over the next nearly 30 years, the trio made a remarkable contribution to post-modern art. With their subversive approach and intere...
Gold
L.I.C. (Blue) (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. L.I.C refers to Long Island City where Soriano currently has his studio. This drawing focuses of objects and elements within it, in particular the remnants of old closets...
Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil
$3,863Sale Price|20% Off
Chef Portrait: Gary Rhodes / Large Photographic Colour Print/ Chef and Knife
By John Reardon
Located in London, GB
Gary Rhodes OBE (22 April 1960 – 26 November 2019)[1] was an English restaurateur and television chef, known for his love of English cuisine and ingredients and for his distinctive s...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Color
Porch drawing 2
Located in London, GB
Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. Peter Soriano works on relatively large sheets of Japanese paper with a tendency to work from something observed, ideally ar...
Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil
Nude Show Girl Buttocks Pondered by Show Horse - Sexy Cartoon Mad Magazine
Located in Miami, FL
This sexy joke cartoon with thought balloons and some bathroom humor was done by the brilliant humorist cartoonist for Mad Magazine, Al Jaffee. The joke's...
Ink, Gouache
What Ecstatic Danger
By Alex Gingrow
Located in New York, NY
graphite, flashe, ink and gesso on paper, 22"x30" signed by the artist Alex Gingrow creates text-based paintings and drawings that are at turns witty, sardonic, poetic, self-deprecat...
Gesso, Ink, Graphite
Relax
Located in New York, NY
Figurative piece with a fun, simple narrative. The beauty of the piece lies in its simplicity. On 3/4 canvas.
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
VII: Istinto Primordiale
Located in London, GB
Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brain. It was created by combining fragments o...
Paper, Archival Pigment
Wonder Woman - Original Lego Creation
Located in New York, NY
Homage to Wonder Woman. Made completely of legos. About the Artist: Joseph Kraham is an "engineering artist". He combines thousands of Lego pieces...
Mixed Media
The Search for Intelligent Life on Earth
By Stephen Hall
Located in New York, NY
Conceptual piece. Commentary on life. Humorous. Featuring astronaut and a bottle of Tide detergent. Acrylic on canvas. About the artist: Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Stephen H...
Canvas, Acrylic
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...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Board
Conceptual Drawing: Plot Plan No. 170516
Located in New York, NY
Plot Plan No. 170516 3-Ring Structure for Covert Spectacle With Self-Generating Concealment Mechanisms framed, signature on reverse This ink and watercolor, work on paper is from ...
Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper
V: Dogmatic thinking
Located in London, GB
Digital C-Type print on Archival Pigment Print. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brain. It was created by combining fragments of pho...
Paper, Archival Pigment
Miracle : mixed media collage
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary collage by Stacy Bergener. In Bergner's own words, she approaches her work as taking something close to chaotic and creating order from it almost like putting together ...
Canvas, Board
VI: Utter Blindness
Located in London, GB
Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. This abstract work is part of the series titled Dichotomy of a Human Brain. It was created by combining fragments o...
Archival Pigment, Paper
Plot Plan No. 170519
Located in New York, NY
Plot Plan No. 170519 Full-Dress Protectionist Pad With Knotted Entrance Strategy This ink and watercolor, work on paper is from Patricia Smith's newly released series: "Shelter in P...
Archival Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Berlin
Located in London, GB
Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. Peter Soriano works on relatively large sheets of Japanese paper with a tendency to work from something observed, ideally ar...
Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil
Traveling Landscape (Roundtop Steamer)
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...
Mixed Media, Resin, Found Objects
Generalized Self Management
Located in New York, NY
graphite, ink, and watercolor on paper 30"x22" available framed Known for her idiosyncratic cartographic explorations of the psyche and mental states, Smith incorporates outer a...
Graphite, Ink, Paper, Watercolor
Untitled
By Lluis Barba
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Ink
$26,000
Untitled
Located in Atlanta, GA
tony hernandez was born in Atlanta in 1964 and has been painting professionally since 1988. while he is a southern artist, his works are far from the re...
Mixed Media
Heart Factory
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Joyce Wieland (1931-1998) is one of the most accomplished and versatile Canadian artists. She achieved a level of commercial and critical success in her lifetime that was exceptional...
Ink, Watercolor
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Mixed Media
Mylar Balloon
By General Idea
Located in Toronto, Ontario
General Idea was founded in 1967 in Toronto by AA Bronson (b. 1946), Felix Partz (1945-1994), and Jorge Zontal (1944-1994). Over the course of 25 years, they made a significant contr...
Plastic, Mylar
Stargazing - Lego Art - Original - C-3PO From Star Wars movie.
Located in New York, NY
Stargazing - Lego Art - Original - C-3PO- From Star Wars Movie. Made completely of legos. About the Artist: Joseph Kraham is an "engineering artist...
Mixed Media
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered witha work and authenticity certificate
Oil
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Mixed Media
Mujer en sofá
Located in Barcelona, CT
the painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Engraving