Known for taking art out of the traditional “white cube” of galleries and museums and onto the streets, Jenny Holzer is one of the most potent feminist Neo-Conceptual artists of the 20th century. Her most iconic work critiques the information age and consumerism by reclaiming its primary media — conventional print billboards, storefront posters and LED signs.
“I used language because I wanted to offer content that people — not necessarily art people — could understand,” the Ohio-born Holzer told Interview magazine. She received her MFA in painting from Rhode Island School of Design, where her work was influenced by Abstract Expressionism. It was while in the Independent Study Program at the Whitney Museum of American Art that Holzer became inspired to work at the intersection of public art and language.
In the late 1970s, after becoming an active participant in the downtown Manhattan artist collective Colab, which included Tom Otterness and Christy Rupp, Holzer began to create her legendary “Truisms” series. Printing anonymous one-line aphorisms in bold and italicized text on broadsheets, she pasted them up in public spaces all over New York City. The “Truisms” are provocative in questioning how we receive and process information. The work elicits debate and represents a range of perspectives. In an era that saw the rise of street art and graffiti, Holzer’s pithy word art would also find viewers by way of T-shirts, stickers and park benches, into which her slogans were carved.
Holzer’s more combative “Inflammatory Essays” (1979–82) took the form of mass-produced posters on colored paper — each featuring paragraphs as compared to the punch-line structure of “Truisms.” These touched on subjects such as violence, misogyny, power structures and consumerism, all of which have continued to be central in her work.
Starting in 1982 as part of a Public Art Fund project, Holzer projected “Protect me from what I want” and other “Truisms” on the Spectacolor board, a large computerized light signboard in New York City’s Times Square. Her “Abuse of power comes as no surprise,” which has appeared on T-shirts as part of the series, has taken on new life in an increasingly politically divided America.
Just as it did in the 1970s, the forcefulness of her work continues to make both viewers and the art world stop and pay attention. She has had solo exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Tate Modern in London and elsewhere. She has also created permanent installations including the New York City AIDS Memorial. A 2014 show at New York’s Cheim & Read featured oil-on-linen canvases based on declassified government files pertaining to detainees from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Find Jenny Holzer prints and sculptures on 1stDibs.
All Things Are Delicately Connected embroidered tea towel
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Contemplate this though provoking statement with this tea towel designed by Jenny Holzer. Each tea towel is embroidered in the UK and made from 100% organic ...
Cotton, Organic Material
$55,000
Selections from the Living Series: It is hard to know what people want...
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Edition of 3 Acquired by current owner from Sotheby's Sale in 2021 Other works from this series have been acquired by The Whitney Museum of American Art, MOMA, National Gallery of ...
Bronze
End of the USA
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Jenny Holzer is one of the most important and original artists of the 20th century. Her body of work, with an emphasis on text, is consistently provocative and occasionally frightening, manipulating the language of both pop culture and government slogan to produce commentary on global issues notably power structures and warfare. Holzer's iconic "Inflammatory Essays", produced between 1979 and 1982, were first pasted on walls throughout heavily populated metro areas including New York and other cities. Composed of anonymous statements, printed on friendly or calm colored papers, the statements were influenced by writings of major political figures such as Emma Goldman...
Offset
$975
H 11.75 in W 9 in D 3.75 in
Mother Nature, Figurative Bronze by Contemporary Indian Artist "In Stock"
By Subrata Biswas
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Subrata Biswas - Mother Nature Bronze, H 11.75 x W 9 x D 3.75 inches Style : The motive of a child in its most basic form appears quite repeatedly in the works of Subrata Biswas. Th...
Bronze
$630
H 9 in W 6.5 in D 3 in
Rain, Bronze Sculpture by Contemporary Indian Artist “In Stock”
By Tushar Kanti Das Roy
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Tushar Kanti Das Roy - Rain - 9 x 6.5 x 3 inches Bronze Sculpture About the Artist & his work : Born : 1968. Education : He has completed his education from I.C.Art & Craft at Kolka...
Bronze
$429
H 8.5 in W 2 in D 3 in
Rain-2, Bronze Sculpture by Contemporary Indian Artist “In Stock”
By Tushar Kanti Das Roy
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Tushar Kanti Das Roy - Rain-2 - 8.5 x 2 x 3 inches Bronze Sculpture About the Artist & his work : Born : 1968. Education : He has completed his education from I.C.Art & Craft at Kol...
Bronze
$5,500
H 16 in W 12 in
Tracey Emin - Be Faithful To Your Dreams, embroidered cotton handkerchief signed
By Tracey Emin
Located in New York, NY
Tracey Emin - Be Faithful To Your Dreams, 1999 Limited edition embroidered cotton handkerchief with embroidered signature and accompanying card Rare vintage collectible for serious T...
Textile, Cotton
$429
H 7 in W 4 in D 2.5 in
Rakhal, Bronze Sculpture by Contemporary Indian Artist “In Stock”
By Tushar Kanti Das Roy
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Tushar Kanti Das Roy - Rakhal - 7 x 4 x 2.5 inches Bronze Sculpture About the Artist & his work : Born : 1968. Education : He has completed his education from I.C.Art & Craft at Kol...
Bronze
$5,004
H 44.1 in W 20.87 in
2024 I – 2 by Christiane Maurer - Textile art, vivid color, geometric, handwoven
Located in Paris, FR
2024 I – 2 is a unique textile (double weave, handwoven cotton stretched on frame) artwork by contemporary artist Christiane Maurer, dimensions are 112 × 53 cm (44.1 × 20.9 in). The...
Textile, Cotton
$4,639
H 22 in W 22 in D 7 in
Rhythm of Nature, Figurative, Bronze by Contemporary Indian Artist "In Stock"
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Subrata Paul - Rhythm of Nature Bronze, H 22 x W 22 x D 7 inches About : Subrata Paul ( b 1972) is one of the empanelled sculptors of Abundant Art Gallery. Subrata Paul’s favoured materials are bronze embellished with wood. His signature fusion of the two different materials with his stitching style lends an unique texture to his sculptures. Our collection, includes some of his remarkable creations including “Fish”, “Goat” and “Bull”.Paul’s ‘Fish’ represents contrasting characteristics. The Buddha like drooping eyes of the ‘Fish’ is contrasted paradoxically against the frenzied fins, reminding us of Medusa’s dishevelled hair. Calmness and restlessness in one form, the ‘Fish’ resembles the life force.It is a metaphor for the inner human strength to swim against the tide of adversities. His ‘The King’ represents an imperial image. The statute is looking towards heaven, as if seeking some inspiration to perform his royal duties. His crown is like a crown of thorns. It is not a pleasant task but it has to be performed. His attire declares he has to modify his own life into the straightjacket of his royal duties. Another creation of his, ‘Bull’ recalls the interpretation of a bison of the Altamira cave paintings. Paul’s ‘Meditation’ series defines peace in different perspectives through various aspects of Buddha figures. Inspired by sculptors such as Sunil Kumar Das...
Bronze
$8,876
H 44.1 in W 36.23 in
2022I-9 by Christiane Maurer - textile, geometric, shades of blue and burgundy
Located in Paris, FR
2022 I – 9 is a unique textile (double weave, handwoven cotton stretched on frame) artwork by contemporary artist Christiane Maurer, dimensions are 112 × 92 cm (44.1 × 36.2 in). The...
Textile, Cotton
$2,499
H 18 in W 16 in D 5 in
Untitled, Dancing, Figurative, Bronze by Contemporary Indian Artist "In Stock"
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Chandan Das - Untitled Bronze H 18 x W 16 x D 5 inches ( Delivered ) DATE OF BIRTH : 01.01.1968, Kolkata EDUCATION : Passed Degree of B.V.A in Sculpture from Govt. College of Art &...
Bronze
$4,960Sale Price|20% Off
H 39 in W 41 in
"Ice Trees", mixed media wall mounting sculpture made of cotton, silk, and kozo
By Lesley Richmond
Located in St. Louis, MO
Lesley Richmond was born in Cornwall, England. Lesley now lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She received her art teachers training in London, England and her MEd in the USA. She taught...
Cotton, Silk, Paint
No Art Here
By Javier Calleja
Located in Bristol, GB
Resin, crystal, cotton and wood sculpture Edition of 250 Not signed, numbered via ZHEN authentication New, as issued. Minor imperfections may appear due to the nature of the material...
Cotton, Resin, Wood
$639
H 5.5 in W 6.5 in D 4.5 in
Musician-2, Bronze Sculpture by Contemporary Indian Artist “In Stock”
By Tushar Kanti Das Roy
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Tushar Kanti Das Roy - Musician-2 - 5.5 x 6.5 x 4.5 inches Bronze Sculpture About the Artist & his work : Born : 1968. Education : He has completed his education from I.C.Art & Craf...
Bronze
Words Tend to be Inadequate embroidered tea towel
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Contemplate this though provoking statement with this tea towel designed by Jenny Holzer. Each tea towel is embroidered in the UK and made from 100% organic cotton. Created exclu...
Cotton, Organic Material
Protect Me From What I Want embroidered tea towel
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Contemplate this though provoking statement with this tea towel designed by Jenny Holzer. Each tea towel is embroidered in the UK and made from 100% organic cotton. Created exclusi...
Cotton, Organic Material
End of the USA
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Jenny Holzer is one of the most important and original artists of the 20th century. Her body of work, with an emphasis on text, is consistently provocative and occasionally frightening, manipulating the language of both pop culture and government slogan to produce commentary on global issues notably power structures and warfare. Holzer's iconic "Inflammatory Essays", produced between 1979 and 1982, were first pasted on walls throughout heavily populated metro areas including New York and other cities. Composed of anonymous statements, printed on friendly or calm colored papers, the statements were influenced by writings of major political figures such as Emma Goldman...
Offset
End of the USA
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Jenny Holzer is one of the most important and original artists of the 20th century. Her body of work, with an emphasis on text, is consistently provocative and occasionally frightening, manipulating the language of both pop culture and government slogan to produce commentary on global issues notably power structures and warfare. Holzer's iconic "Inflammatory Essays", produced between 1979 and 1982, were first pasted on walls throughout heavily populated metro areas including New York and other cities. Composed of anonymous statements, printed on friendly or calm colored papers, the statements were influenced by writings of major political figures such as Emma Goldman...
Offset
Truism "Travaux Publics"
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Jenny Holzer's "Truisms" are arguably the most iconic and poignant text-based content she has created. Holzer began "Truisms" as a student in 1977. She created a mix of cliches, sl...
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