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.
Untitled, MT Inv. No 7-3-11 – Miroslav Tichy, Woman, Czech, Photography
Located in Zurich, CH
Miroslav Tichý (*1926, Czech Republic) Untitled, MT Inv. No 7-3-11 Unknown, ca. 1970-1990 Silver Gelatin Print Sheet 22,9 x 17,1 cm (9 x 6 3/4 in.) Unique Print only Tichý, pract...
Silver Gelatin
Birds, Cibachrome Photograph Print, Signed Conceptual Art
Located in Surfside, FL
This is a proof print. signed and marked bat (for bon a tirer or good to print) This is a single print from 1998 Birds. Suite of eight Cibachromes. Edition of fifteen. 10″ × 10″ (sh...
C Print
$2,455Sale Price|30% Off
Lemnia II
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
Lemnia II is a piece that evokes the ancient majesty of the sculpture of Athena Lemnia, an iconic work created by Phidias in the 5th century B.C. that once stood on the Acropolis of ...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Wood Panel
Wall sculpture, hand-carved cow, eucalyptus and chainsaw, natural wood
Located in Carballo, ES
Hand-carved eucalyptus wood sculpture by the artist Álvaro de la Vega (1954, Lugo, Spain) in 20006. It is part of a series of sculptures of bodies and animals made with chisel and ha...
Stainless Steel
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Mixed Media
Yes to Everything
Located in New York, NY
Mixed Media. Female centric. Vibrant colors. About the Artist: Cabell Molina is a contemporary artist transplanted from California to the east. Where Cabell has proved hersel...
Mixed Media
We'll Get Along With Each Other: Figurative Oil Painting, 160 x 130 CM
Located in BARCELONA, ES
I cannot anticipate an element that would define a new line. I have not encountered one yet. Each painter has a spectrum of ideas they stick to. I am largely a figural painter. I pai...
Canvas, Oil
Dealer, Kowloon, Hong Kong - Asian Pop Art Color Photography
Located in Cambridge, GB
Dealer, street photography from Richard Heeps series, The Streets of Hong Kong. Richard's aim for his City series is to represent the fingerprint of a place, in this the street store...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Landscape in Blue - Animal Painting - Conceptual Art By Marc Zimmerman
Located in Carmel, CA
In an abstract forest meadow exotic animals contentedly graze. The trees are lush with inventive surreal flowers and leaves. Landscape in Blue - Animal Paintings - Conceptual Art By...
Canvas, Oil
AI WEIWEI - PEQUI TREE. Limited edition sculpture, Contemporary, Modern design
By Ai Weiwei
Located in Madrid, Madrid
AI WEIWEI - PEQUI TREE Date of creation: 2021 Medium: Tin sculpture Edition: 250 Size: 32 x 12 x 8 cm Condition: In mint conditions, brand new and never displayed ABOUT THE WORK Li...
Metal
"Verso sera" by Corrado Ferrante, oil on wood, 39x31cm
Located in Milano, MI
In the compositions, the gaze is attracted by an interplay of harmonious balances between full and empty spaces, which compel the regarding to an observation dynamic approach in orde...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board, Paper, Wood Panel
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Glimmer of Hope - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa
By John Ali
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Mixed Media
Panel B - Brutality of Creation (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Panel B - Brutality of Creation (Abstract Photography) Archival Pigment Print on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. Unframed. Edition 6 + 2 AP - Edition 1/6 This new series titled Neuros...
Archival Pigment, Paper
Conscience Level
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
#murano #glass Barry Wolfryd (1952) Barry Wolfryd, born in Los Angeles and a naturalized Mexican, has spent most of his artistic career in Mexico, where he has lived for the past 35 ...
Glass
$85,000
Monet Cane
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...
Mixed Media
Linternas
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...
Canvas, Oil
$1,300
"The Child (Aids)", Mixed Media on Linen with Assemblage Elements, 1991-92
Located in Astoria, NY
Roni Nicholson (American, XX), "The Child (Aids)", Mixed Media on Linen with Assemblage Elements, 1991-1992, signed, titled, dated, and exhibition form verso, unframed. 53.5" H x 54...
Textile, Linen, Found Objects, Mixed Media, Oil
Hockey Stick Blades
By Greg Curnoe
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Greg Curnoe (1936-1992) was a highly revered artist, bookmaker and competitive cyclist. He was based in London, Ontario but beloved across the country. He would represent Canada at the Venice Biennale in 1976. Unwavering in his allegiance to the Canadian/local art scene, Curnoe led the London Regionalism movement alongside fellow artists such as Jack Chambers, Tony Urquhart...
Rubber, Ink
$1,850
Luna 2
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...
Oil, Canvas
"Argentina", Mixed Media on Linen with Assemblage Elements, Signed, 1985
Located in Astoria, NY
Roni Nicholson (American, XX), "Argentina", Mixed Media on Linen with Assemblage Elements, 1985, signed, titled, dated, and inscribed "Red painting with child's black shirt" verso, u...
Textile, Linen, Found Objects, Oil
We Love to Swing: Conceptual Tempera Painting, 21st Century, Framed
Located in BARCELONA, ES
"I cannot anticipate an element that would define a new line. I have not encountered one yet. Each painter has a spectrum of ideas they stick to. I am largely a figural painter. I pa...
Paper, Tempera
I See What You Don't: Conceptual Tempera Painting, 21st Century, Framed
Located in BARCELONA, ES
"I cannot anticipate an element that would define a new line. I have not encountered one yet. Each painter has a spectrum of ideas they stick to. I am largely a figural painter. I pa...
Paper, Tempera
Listen to Me Carefully: Figurative Oil Painting, 71 x 90 cm, New, Framed
Located in BARCELONA, ES
"I cannot anticipate an element that would define a new line. I have not encountered one yet. Each painter has a spectrum of ideas they stick to. I am largely a figural painter. I pa...
Tempera, Paper
$2,273
Turquoise Crowning: Tempera Painting, Conceptual Style, 21st Century, Framed
Located in BARCELONA, ES
I cannot anticipate an element that would define a new line. I have not encountered one yet. Each painter has a spectrum of ideas they stick to. I am largely a figural painter. I pai...
Tempera, Paper
Who's Writing to Us?: Original Figurative Painting, 71 x 90 CM, Framed
Located in BARCELONA, ES
I cannot anticipate an element that would define a new line. I have not encountered one yet. Each painter has a spectrum of ideas they stick to. I am largely a figural painter. I pai...
Tempera, Paper
Cherries: Tempera Painting, Figurative Style, New, 71x90 cm, Signed
Located in BARCELONA, ES
I cannot anticipate an element that would define a new line. I have not encountered one yet. Each painter has a spectrum of ideas they stick to. I am largely a figural painter. I pai...
Tempera, Paper
The Grand Crowning: Figurative Oil Painting, 180 x 240 cm, New
Located in BARCELONA, ES
I cannot anticipate an element that would define a new line. I have not encountered one yet. Each painter has a spectrum of ideas they stick to. I am largely a figural painter. I pai...
Oil
Barbie in a Box - 3D Ltd Ed 5/10
Located in New York, NY
An homage to the famed Barbie Doll. About the Artists: Animated through an assemblage of analog, digital, and lenticular photographic technologies, these selections from Reisig a...
Lenticular
Milagro 15
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Eduardo Costa is one of the key figures in global conceptual art. He was born in Buenos Aires in 1940. He graduated in Literature and Art at the University of Buenos Aires in 1965 where he took courses with Jorge Luis Borges in the late fifties. His practice developed into Conceptual POP with the Fashion Fictions Series, 1966-to the present. He is also credited with creating Conceptual Geometry which he showed internationally starting in 1995 at the Elga Wimmer Gallery, NY, and in 2001 at Cecilia de Torres LTD., NY. With Cecilia de Torres he exhibited a fully developed edition of his Volumetric Paintings, which use painting to such a volume that it stands by itself without any cloth or other support.Eduardo Costa lived twenty-five years in New York and over four years in Rio de Janeiro where he met almost daily with Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Pape...
Acrylic
$2,000
Poster for Svayambh at the Royal Academy, London (hand signed by Anish Kapoor)
By Anish Kapoor
Located in New York, NY
Anish Kapoor Poster for Svayambh at the Royal Academy, London (hand signed by Anish Kapoor), 2009 Offset lithograph poster Boldly signed by Anish Kapoor on the lower right front 21 ×...
Lithograph, Offset
"Peace" - Contemporary Street Sign Sculpture
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Scott Froschauer is an experimental artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, where his primary focus is exploring new spaces and techniques for communication. This series "Word on ...
Metal
Floriculture 1 - Dutch Flower Painting Rachel Ruysch Inspiration Photography
By Lisa Creagh
Located in Brighton, GB
Floriculture 2 by Lisa Creagh 45" x 72" Lightjet Print from a Limited Edition of 10 Creagh's project 'Floriculture' draws on the theme of The Instant Garden, which derived from an ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Tender Weight of Waiting 1 -21st Century Contemporary Figurative Portrait Modern
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The Tender Weight of Waiting captures a moment of calm shaped by unseen expectations. Surrounded by books centered on love, marriage, and self-preparation, the subject retreats into ...
Canvas, Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Birds, Cibachrome Photograph Print, Signed Conceptual Art
Located in Surfside, FL
This is a proof print. signed and marked bat (for bon a tirer or good to print) This is a single print from 1998 Birds. Suite of eight Cibachromes. Edition of fifteen. 10″ × 10″ (sh...
C Print
$735
Set of Three Framed Singapore Stamp Collection, Orchid Floral Color Photograph
Located in Cambridge, GB
30 Cents Singapore Orchid, from the Heidler & Heeps Stamp Collection. These historic postage stamps that make up the Heidler & Heeps Stamp Collection, Singapore Series 'Postcards fro...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Birds, Cibachrome Photograph Print, NFS Sample Conceptual Taxidermy Art
Located in Surfside, FL
This is a proof print. Stamped with the Muse X stamp and marked NFS. This is a single print from 1998 Birds. Suite of eight Cibachromes. Edition of fifteen. 10″ × 10″ (sheet size). M...
C Print
Dario Villalba - UNTITLED 2 Limited Conceptualism Spanish Contemporary Grey
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Dario Villalba - Untitled 2 Date of creation: 1975 Medium: Lithograph and photolithograph on paper Edition: 75 Size: 95 x 68 cm Condition: In mint conditions and not framed Observati...
Lithograph
$483
Dario Villalba UNTITLED 3 Limited Conceptualism Spanish Contemporary Grey Woman
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Dario Villalba - UNTITLED 3 Date of creation: 1975 Medium: Lithograph and photolithograph on Paper Edition: 75 Size: 95 x 68 cm Condition: In mint conditions and never framed Observa...
Lithograph
Japanese Contemporary Art by Kojun - Kensho 1945
By Kojun
Located in Paris, IDF
Inkjet print of digital photograph on Kakejikuya kozo washi with origami backing paper Kojun is an self-taught multimédia American artist born in 1977 based in Tokyo, Japan since 19...
Paper, Mixed Media, Inkjet
Birds, Cibachrome Photograph Print, Signed Conceptual Art
Located in Surfside, FL
This is a proof print. signed and marked bat (for bon a tirer or good to print) This is a single print from 1998 Birds. Suite of eight Cibachromes. Edition of fifteen. 10″ × 10″ (she...
C Print
$483
Dario Villalba UNTITLED 4 Limited Conceptualism Spanish Contemporary Grey Woman
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Dario Villalba - UNTITLED 4 Date of creation: 1975 Medium: Lithograph and photolithograph on paper Edition: 75 Size: 95 x 68 cm Condition: In mint conditions and never framed Observa...
Paper, Lithograph
Monkeying Around - Animal Painting by Marc
Located in Carmel, CA
Monkeys at play in a coral backdrop and colorful flowing foliage. Good for reminding us of our playful nature. Monkeying Around - Animal Paintings - Conceptual Art By Marc Zimmerman...
Oil
African American Youth With Water Reflections - Self Reflection
Located in Miami, FL
"Self Reflection " In the early 1970's Mitchell Funk was a trailblazer of color photography. In this stunning portrait the photographer merges naturalism and representation with abst...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$2,207
Flora 35, 2015 - Limited Edition Photographic Color Print, Still Life Photograph
Located in Brighton, GB
Flora 35, 2015 by Marisa Culatto Flora 35 is a Giclée print on Ultra Bright Hahnemuehle paper, available in this size only from a Limited Edition of 6. Culatto's new series 'Flora...
Photographic Paper, Color, Giclée
$2,614
Wall sculpture, hand-carved lion, eucalyptus and chainsaw, natural wood
Located in Carballo, ES
Hand-carved eucalyptus wood sculpture by the artist Álvaro de la Vega (1954, Lugo, Spain) in 20006. It is part of a series of sculptures of bodies and animals made with chisel and ha...
Stainless Steel
Starry Night - Original Lego Creation
Located in New York, NY
Homage to Vincent Van Gogh. Made completely of legos. About the Artist: Joseph Kraham is an "engineering artist". He combines thousands of Lego pi...
Mixed Media
"Un muro di parole, poi? un sogno!", M.t. on wood, 32x30 cm
Located in Milano, MI
In this work, Corrado Ferrante stages a poetic short circuit between surface and depth. The wall—compact, rough, almost silent—is pierced by an irregular tear that reveals pages of t...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Board
Weight of Return -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Skate
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This piece captures the moment where emotion becomes stronger than ego. The running figure carries two contrasting elements (a skating machine symbolizing movement, escape, and the f...
Canvas, Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
wall sculpture, hand-carved human bust, raw eucalyptus wood with steel
Located in Carballo, ES
Hand-carved eucalyptus wood sculpture by the artist Álvaro de la Vega (1954, Lugo, Spain) in 20006. It is part of a series of sculptures of bodies and animals made with chisel and ha...
Stainless Steel
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Engraving
$1,800Sale Price|20% Off
Forever Young Mixed Media Painting on Canvas, Conceptual, 21st Century
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide 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 Authent...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Oil
$7,000
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Centre IV, Berlin, Germany, architectural library
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Centre IV Berlin Germany 2019 40 x 60 inches 101.6 x 152,4 cm Edition of 10 signed and numbered on label, verso In Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Centre IV, Reinh...
C Print, Lambda
$7,000
Library Hall, Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences, Görlitz Germany, Architecture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This large-scale architectural photograph by German artist Reinhard Görner depicts the Library Hall at the Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences in Görlitz, Germany. Arches open like portals into the interior, bringing public cultural heritage into private space in the rich, glowing tones of brown wood. 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. Housing about 150,000 volumes, this library is not only the largest in Görlitz, but also the most significant regional library between Dresden and Wrocław. Rich in history, it stands at the crossroads of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, serving as a beacon for historical research and knowledge transfer in the region. Lit by a warm, timeless glow, the scene leads you through multiple carved archways...
Lambda
1970s Italian Pop Art Tano Festa Signed and Dated Drawing
By Tano Festa
Located in Roma, IT
1970s Tano Festa Signed and Dated Drawing Important work in marker on cardboard by the great Roman artist Tano Festa, one of the major exponents, together with Mario Schifano, of th...
Paper, Permanent Marker
Lourdes Teleferique du Beout original vintage French travel poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Lourdes Teleferique du Beout original French antique poster. Archival linen backed in very fine condition. The artist Hubert Mathieu created ...
Lithograph
Untitled I. Self Portrait. Limited Edition Color Nude Photograph
By Jose Sierra
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This work is the result of an artistic residence outside his "study”.The artist worked on a different ecosystem, a house of vernacular architecture built in 1913 in the department of...
Archival Pigment, Color
$2,120Sale Price|20% Off
Seeking Perfection 3 -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern
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. About Artist Mic...
Canvas, Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Vintage Silver Gelatin Photograph Surrealist Fake Limb Prosthetic Factory Photo
By Shimon Attie
Located in Surfside, FL
These are vintage prints from the 1980's. The last photo shows a gallery or museum label from an accompanying piece (there were three sequence shots in this series) but is not on thi...
Silver Gelatin