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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
Painting made with a painter's cotton t-shirt and tissue paper, red and white
Painting made with a painter's cotton t-shirt and tissue paper, red and white

Painting made with a painter's cotton t-shirt and tissue paper, red and white

Located in Carballo, ES

Painting made by Peter Kramer with a t-shirt found on Malpica beach, belonging to a ship painter. The painting is made with handmade tissue paper. The measurements are 80 x 80 cm. F...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Cotton, Acrylic, Tissue Paper

Radiance of Joy 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, African, Women, Happily Smiling
Radiance of Joy 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, African, Women, Happily Smiling

Radiance of Joy 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, African, Women, Happily Smiling

By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde

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 Authen...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Fabric, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Mixed Media

RARE Yvon Lambert Gallery mailer (Hand Signed and Addressed by Dennis Oppenheim)
RARE Yvon Lambert Gallery mailer (Hand Signed and Addressed by Dennis Oppenheim)

RARE Yvon Lambert Gallery mailer (Hand Signed and Addressed by Dennis Oppenheim)

By Dennis A. Oppenheim

Located in New York, NY

Dennis Oppenheim Directed Seeding -Wheat, Historic Yvon Lambert Gallery Poster (Hand Signed and Addressed by Dennis Oppenheim), 1969 Offset lithograph poster. Hand signed, inscribed. Postmarked and addressed to Oppenheim's dealer, John Gibson 23 × 16 inches Hand Signed and inscribed by Dennis Oppenheim lower right in blue marker in 2006, hand addressed by Dennis Oppenheim in 1969 in red marker Unframed This is an extremely uncommon vintage poster/mailer announcing the May 20th, 1969 opening reception (Vernissage) for the exhibition of works by American conceptual art pioneer Dennis Oppenheim at the Yvon Lambert Gallery in Paris. The poster is historic in that it was originally mailed to John Gibson, the East 67th Street dealer, who famously gave Dennis Oppenheim his first New York exhibition in 1968, and it is hand addressed to Gibson, bearing the original Paris, France postmark of 1969. It is, exceptionally, hand signed and dedicated by Dennis Oppenheim to a collector who acquired the poster from John Gibson's collection, and then secured Dennis Oppenheim's autograph in 2006, making this an especially valuable collectors item. More information about the project from the Tate Gallery archives, which acquired the work: This work brings together two interventions Oppenheim created on a field owned by farmer Albert Waalken in Finsterwolde, north-eastern Holland, in 1969. It comprises four distinct elements mounted on board: a colour photograph of a wheatfield being sowed by a tractor in parallel curving lines seen from high up; a negative image in black and white of a map of the area of Finsterwolde onto which two sections of text have been collaged; and two black and white aerial photographs of the same field being traversed by a tractor cutting an X into the wheat. The first two elements relate to the action Directed Seeding. For this the field was seeded according to a line plotted by following the road from the village of Finsterwolde, the location of the field, to Nieuweschans, another village where the farmer’s storage silo for wheat was located. Oppenheim reduced this curved line by a factor of six in order to direct the trajectory of seeding. The tractor then carved a series of curved parallel lines on the surface of the field as it dug up earth and scattered seed. From an aerial perspective the patterning of parallel lines may be viewed as a form of line drawing on the landscape. The precise location of the field and the silo are indicated on the map, showing the trajectory of the road. The two sections of text collaged onto the upper portion of the map briefly describe the two interventions. Explaining the action Cancelled Crop, the artist wrote: In September the field was harvested in the form of an X. The grain was isolated in its raw state, further processing was withheld. This project poses an interaction upon media during the early stages of processing. Planting and cultivating my own material is like mining ones own pigment (for paint) – I can direct the later stages of development at will. In this case the material is planted and cultivated for the sole purpose of withholding it from a product-oriented system. Isolating this grain from further processing (production of food stuffs) becomes like stopping raw pigment from becoming an illusionistic force on canvas. The esthetic is in the raw material prior to refinement, and since no organization is imposed through refinement, the material’s destiny is bred with its origin. (Quoted from artist’s statement in Tate acquisition file.) Directed Seeding and Cancelled Crop are two separate works, brought together in several different versions of which Tate’s is one. The collage presents three ways in which human action may marks the land. For the first two, agricultural machinery is used to create straight lines, in the process of harvesting as in the X of Cancelled Crop, or curved lines, during the process of planting seed in the contours photographed for Directed Seeding. The map shows a third (and more ancient) way of marking the land, through the construction of roads. The use of the landscape – natural, industrial or urban – as a canvas on which to act is typical of Oppenheim’s work in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In a related action, Directed Harvest, 1966 (Tate T07590) and Directed Harvest 1968 (Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands), the artist caused a field to be harvested in linear patterns which he then had photographed in its progressive stages. In Reverse Processing: Cement Transplant, East River, NY, 1970, 1978 (Tate T07591) Oppenheim drew large crosses on the roofs of barges transporting raw cement that he found moored on the New York East River banks. All these works centre on process as an agent of change and utilise materials, elements and locations on which the artist can have no permanent claim, making them deliberately ephemeral. Such actions as seeding a crop and harvesting it several months later operate within time parameters dependent on the cycles of the seasons rather than the will of man, mixing human processes with those of nature. Oppenheim’s analogy between the prevention of a crop from entering the food chain and the halting of the expressive, ‘illusionistic’ force of paint deconstructs the sophisticated processes of art-making and the food industry to the elemental notion of making simple marks on the environment. In this way, the artist highlights contemporary man’s dependency on complex chains...

Category

1960s Conceptual Art

Materials

Offset, Lithograph

"Under construction", Painting with concrete on paper, Land art / Earthworks
"Under construction", Painting with concrete on paper, Land art / Earthworks

"Under construction", Painting with concrete on paper, Land art / Earthworks

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

Dealer, Kowloon, Hong Kong - Asian Pop Art Color Photography
Dealer, Kowloon, Hong Kong - Asian Pop Art Color Photography

Dealer, Kowloon, Hong Kong - Asian Pop Art Color Photography

By Richard Heeps

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...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin

Sign Of The Time - large scale photograph of conceptual motivational billboard
Sign Of The Time - large scale photograph of conceptual motivational billboard

Sign Of The Time - large scale photograph of conceptual motivational billboard

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

Large format photograph of a billboard signage in California desert landscape, from a series of conceptual motivational messages on iconic Americana roadside signs and billboards cap...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment

Silent Echoes
Silent Echoes

Silent Echoes

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

A Broken Frame - Album Cover for Depeche Mode - Large Size Landscape Photograph
A Broken Frame - Album Cover for Depeche Mode - Large Size Landscape Photograph

A Broken Frame - Album Cover for Depeche Mode - Large Size Landscape Photograph

Located in London, GB

A solitary figure harvests wheat under a darkening sky, embodying resilience against nature's elements... "It had been raining all morning but the clouds suddenly parted and we had 3...

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Archival P...

Unknown Soldier - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Military, Veteran, Men
Unknown Soldier - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Military, Veteran, Men

Unknown Soldier - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Military, Veteran, Men

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil, Acrylic

Upright Impression
Upright Impression

Upright Impression

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

"Upright Impression" by John Ali captures the innocence, resilience, and curiosity of youth through the portrayal of a young girl. In this captivating artwork, the girl stands tall a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

All in My Head - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Men, Love, Thoughts
All in My Head - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Men, Love, Thoughts

All in My Head - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Men, Love, Thoughts

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Enduring Echoes 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Old Masters
Enduring Echoes 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Old Masters

Enduring Echoes 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Old Masters

By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Enduring Echoes portrays a striking and vibrant portrait of a man, set against a bold and contrasting background. The artist uses a rich palette of purples, reds, and oranges, highli...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic

Original ink on Paper, Contemporary Landscape Botanic Expressionist
Original ink on Paper, Contemporary Landscape Botanic Expressionist

Original ink on Paper, Contemporary Landscape Botanic Expressionist

Located in Carballo, ES

Black And White Minimal Painting is an original artwork realized by TUSET in 2020. We can frame it in natural wood or black on request. The title of this works is "From the Apollon...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Ink, Handmade Paper

MAYBE - large format photograph of conceptual motivational billboard at night
MAYBE - large format photograph of conceptual motivational billboard at night

MAYBE - large format photograph of conceptual motivational billboard at night

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

large scale photograph of a billboard signage against ultramarine blue night sky, from a series of conceptual motivational messages on iconic Americana roadside signs and billboards ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

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

Untitled  IV. Self Portrait. Limited Edition Color Nude Photograph
Untitled  IV. Self Portrait. Limited Edition Color Nude Photograph

Untitled IV. Self Portrait. Limited Edition Color Nude Photograph

By Jose Sierra

Located in Miami Beach, FL

José Sierra painted his body as a tribute to Afro-Colombian and pre-Columbian cultures, documenting the performance in photographs that portray him in erotic and suggestive positions...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Color, Archival Pigment

Dramma in Nove Versi, Conceptual Art Lithograph with Screenprint
Dramma in Nove Versi, Conceptual Art Lithograph with Screenprint

Dramma in Nove Versi, Conceptual Art Lithograph with Screenprint

Located in Long Island City, NY

This enigmatic lithograph titled “Dramma in Nove Versi” (Drama in Nine Verses) presents a Conceptual Art exploration of text and visual poetry through Textual Art practices. The comp...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen

Delicate Ecosystem, Conceptual Etching by Mel Chin
Delicate Ecosystem, Conceptual Etching by Mel Chin

Delicate Ecosystem, Conceptual Etching by Mel Chin

By Mel Chin

Located in Long Island City, NY

This thought-provoking 1996 etching by Mel Chin exemplifies Contemporary Conceptual Art’s engagement with environmental themes and ecological awareness. Chin’s intricate composition ...

Category

1990s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Hilda - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women Hair, Eyes
Hilda - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women Hair, Eyes

Hilda - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women Hair, Eyes

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Art

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil, Acrylic

Untitled I. Self Portrait.  Limited Edition Color Photograph
Untitled I. Self Portrait.  Limited Edition Color Photograph

Untitled I. Self Portrait. Limited Edition Color Photograph

By Jose Sierra

Located in Miami Beach, FL

José Sierra painted his body as a tribute to Afro-Colombian and pre-Columbian cultures, documenting the performance in photographs that portray him in erotic and suggestive positions...

Category

2010s Conceptual Art

Materials

Color, Archival Pigment

Baroque - Mixed media by Marisa Busanel - 1964
Baroque - Mixed media by Marisa Busanel - 1964

Baroque - Mixed media by Marisa Busanel - 1964

By Marisa Busanel

Located in Roma, IT

Mixed media on wooden panels realized by Marisa Busanel in 1970s. Painted wood panel with applied sculptural dress element in lead or lead-like metal, polychrome surface with incise...

Category

1960s Conceptual Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Silence, Conceptual Etching by Kim Tschang-yeul
Silence, Conceptual Etching by Kim Tschang-yeul

Silence, Conceptual Etching by Kim Tschang-yeul

Located in Long Island City, NY

Kim Tschang-yeul, Korean (1929 - 2021) - Silence, Year: 1970, Medium: Etching on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 60/90, Size: 30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.88 cm), Publi...

Category

1970s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching

State of Mind, Conceptual Etching by Peter Nadin
State of Mind, Conceptual Etching by Peter Nadin

State of Mind, Conceptual Etching by Peter Nadin

By Peter Nadin

Located in Long Island City, NY

Peter Nadin, British/American (1954 - ) - State of Mind, Year: 1985, Medium: Etching on Arches, signed, numbered and dated in pencil, Edition: 20, Image Size: 4 x 5 inches, Size:...

Category

1980s Conceptual Art

Materials

Etching

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

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

Go, Conceptual Screenprint by Rib Bloomfield
Go, Conceptual Screenprint by Rib Bloomfield

Go, Conceptual Screenprint by Rib Bloomfield

Located in Long Island City, NY

Rib Bloomfield, English (1948 - ) - Go, Year: circa 1990, Medium: Screenprint, signed, titled and numbered in pencil, Edition: 103/110, Image Size: 32.5 x 30 inches, Size: 37.75...

Category

1990s Conceptual Art

Materials

Screen

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.