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Jenny Holzer Sculptures

American, b. 1950

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.

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Artist: Jenny Holzer
USE WHAT IS DOMINANT IN A CULTURE TO CHANGE IT: Signed glass bowl Whitney Museum
By Jenny Holzer
Located in New York, NY
Jenny Holzer USE WHAT IS DOMINANT IN A CULTURE TO CHANGE IT, 2003 Hand Blown Glass Bowl 4 × 10 × 10 inches Edition 68/200 Signed and numbered 68/200 on the underside with Holzer's in...
Category

Early 2000s Conceptual Jenny Holzer Sculptures

Materials

Blown Glass, Engraving

Jenny Holzer, Inflammatory Essays 3 - LED Sculpture, Light Art, Text-based Art
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Hamburg, DE
Jenny Holzer (American, b. 1950) Inflammatory Essays 3, 1982/2002 Medium: Electronic tri-color mini-LED panel, with anodized aluminium housing, incl. power adapter Dimensions: 10.1 x...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Jenny Holzer Sculptures

Materials

LED Light

Jenny Holzer, Inflammatory Essays: Shriek When the Pain Hits...
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Hamburg, DE
Jenny Holzer (American, b. 1950) Inflammatory Essays: Shriek When the Pain Hits During Interrogation, 1996 Multiple: Pewter multiple with engraved text Dimensions: 6.6 × 5 × 1.1 cm (...
Category

20th Century Contemporary Jenny Holzer Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Survival Pencils
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Jenny Holzer's menacing "Truisms" first appeared in 1983 when the artist was invited to participate in a group show exploring the themes and dialogue from George Orwell's "1984". O...
Category

1990s Conceptual Jenny Holzer Sculptures

Materials

Pencil

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1990s Conceptual Jenny Holzer Sculptures

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Early 2000s Conceptual Jenny Holzer Sculptures

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Late 20th Century Conceptual Jenny Holzer Sculptures

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Inflammatory Essays: Shriek When the Pain Hits During Interrogation, 1996 Jenny Holzer Pewter multiple with engraved text With the artist's incised signature and numbering verso Fr...
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1990s Contemporary Jenny Holzer Sculptures

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By Jenny Holzer
Located in London, GB
JENNY HOLZER Inflammatory Essays: Shriek When the Pain Hits During Interrogation, 1996 Pewter multiple with engraved text With the artist's incised signature and numbering verso Fro...
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1990s Contemporary Jenny Holzer Sculptures

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Metal

Jenny Holzer sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Jenny Holzer sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Jenny Holzer in metal, led light and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1990s and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Jenny Holzer sculptures, so small editions measuring 3 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Glenn Green, Angelica Bergamini, and Brian Usher. Jenny Holzer sculptures prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,460 and tops out at $7,767, while the average work can sell for $4,480.
Questions About Jenny Holzer Sculptures
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    While the takeaway of Jenny Holzer’s art is subjective to each individual, her work focuses mainly on the delivery of words and ideas in public spaces with large-scale installations. Shop a selection of Jenny Holzer artwork and prints on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Jenny Holzer’s medium is visual arts, specifically conceptual art and installations. She draws on social and political commentaries to create her text-rich work. You can shop a selection of Jenny Holzer’s pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.

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