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.
$10,000
In a Glass House
By Jenny Holzer
Located in New Canaan, CT
Jenny Holzer In a glass house, 2018 Etched glass mirror 36 x 24 inches Edition of 15, 5 AP's Stamped and numbered Text from Philip Johnson: The Architect in His Own Words by Hilary L...
Mirror
Impeach Marble Limited Edition Skateboard Deck by Jenny Holzer
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Jersey City, NJ
The Skateroom w/ Jenny Holzer One skateboard deck Solid marble with engraving 31 x 8 inches Limited Edition of 25 Hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity included SHIPPING NOTE: Thi...
Marble
$5,000 / item
H 39.38 in W 39.38 in D 7.88 in
Gufram Broken Square Mirror White by Snarkitecture, Limited Edition of 77
By Snarkitecture, Gufram Furniture
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Broken series consists of broken mirror, broken square mirror, and broken bench. Each item is available in three colors: Grey, black (limited edition of ...
Plastic, Rubber
Raphael Fenice Infinity Mirror
By Raphael Fenice
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Raphael Fenice infinity mirror in Lucite and led technology When the mirror is off looks like a real mirror. Mirror can be controlled ...
Lucite, Wood
$1,368 / item
H 18.51 in W 14.18 in D 1.97 in
Contemporary Design 'Moss Wall Piece, by Andredottir & Bobek
By Andredottir & Bobek
Located in copenhagen, DK
One of a kind, contemporary design, meadow block side tables embody the surface of moss. Made by the art and design duo Andredottir & Bobek They have...
Foam
Mid-Century Modern Moon Wall Decor Piece, Light, Handmade by Greenapple
By Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Mid-Century Modern Moon Wall Decor Piece, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. The Moon modern wall decor is a manifestation of the divine femini...
Acrylic, Resin, Wood
$10,432
H 5.91 in Dm 55.12 in
Mid-Century Modern Breeze Wall Art Sculpture Piece, Light, Handmade Greenapple
By Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Mid-Century Modern Breeze Wall Art Piece, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. Breeze modern wall decor captures the essence of a massive, crashi...
Fiberglass, Art Glass, Paint, Wood
Set of 2 Walljewel White Onyx by Lisette Rützou
Located in Geneve, CH
Walljewel white onyx by Lisette Rützou Dimensions: 15 x H 42 cm Materials: Rose, green and white onyx. Lisette Rützou’s design is motivated by an urge to articulate a story. In...
Onyx
Walljewel White Onyx by Lisette Rützou
Located in Geneve, CH
Walljewel white onyx by Lisette Rützou Dimensions: 15 x H 42 cm Materials: Rose, Green and White Onyx Lisette Rützou’s design is motivated by an urge to articulate a story. Ins...
Onyx
Walljewel by Lisette Rützou
Located in Geneve, CH
Walljewel by Lisette Rützou Dimensions: 15 x H 42 cm Materials: Rose, green and white onyx. Lisette Rützou’s design is motivated by an urge to articulate a story. Inspired by t...
Onyx
$1,500 / item
H 24 in W 20 in D 0.1 in
Jenny Saville Chapter 'for Linda Nochlin' Limited Edition Print
By Phaidon
Located in New York, NY
Print: Full color digital archival print on Somerset Photo 330g/m2 Size: 610 x 508 mm (24 x 20 in) Edition of 100 Signed, dated, and numbered by the artist (2016-2018) Produced with the support of Kering, a global luxury group committed to the empowerment of women, this charitable limited-edition print is part of a portfolio celebrating Phaidon's Great Women Artists, the most extensive illustrated book on women artists ever published. The book tells the stories of over 400 artists spanning 500 years and reveals a parallel yet equally engaging history of art for an age that champions a great diversity of voices. The Great Women Artists print portfolio offers collectors the opportunity to acquire affordable works by some of the most celebrated and sought-after women artists of our time, while contributing to a worthy cause. Jenny Saville...
Paper
Brazilian Contemporary Wall Sculpture by Armarinhos Teixeira
By Armarinhos Teixeira
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
Artist: Armarinhos Teixeira Nebulares series (no title) Unique piece Brazil 2018 Materials: polyester, copper and leather The sculpture is hanging on by a leather cord Dimensions Variable Exhibited - São Paulo, Brazil, Legado Arte...
Copper
"Peach Bloom" Kite by Michael Thompson
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Fabric, Canvas, Bamboo
Gufram Broken Mirror by Snarkitecture, Grey
By Gufram Furniture, Snarkitecture
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Broken series consists of broken mirror, broken square mirror, and broken bench. Each item is available in three colors: Grey, black (limited edition of ...
Plastic, Rubber
in a Glass House
By Jenny Holzer
Located in New Canaan, CT
Jenny Holzer In a glass house, 2018 Etched glass mirror 36 x 24 inches Edition of 15, 5 AP's Stamped and numbered Text from Philip Johnson: The ...
Mirror
Impeach 'Marble' Skateboard Deck by Jenny Holzer
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Jersey City, NJ
The Skateroom with Jenny Holzer One skateboard deck Solid marble with engraving Measures: 31 H. x 8 inches Mounting hardware included Edition of 25 Top print includes printed signature of the artist Hand-signed COA included This skateboard deck comes ready to hang with mounting hardware and instructions and is part of a limited edition of 25. It comes with a hand-signed “Certificate of Authenticity” from The Skateroom. Jenny Holzer’s work is defined by her use of text. Whether questioning, describing, or lamenting a specific object or theme, her work’s true purpose is to agitate and disturb its audience at the core – a technique particularly effective when displayed in public spaces and mistaken for an advertisement. For this collaboration, the political turmoil and unrest that revolves around the Trump presidency in the U.S. takes center stage for a limited edition of art decks...
Marble
Impeach 'Wood' Skateboard Deck by Jenny Holzer
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Jersey City, NJ
The Skateroom with Jenny Holzer one skateboard deck 7-ply Canadian Maplewood with reflective silver screenprint Measures: 31 H x 8 inches mounting hardware included edition of 500 top print includes printed signature of the artist signed COA by The Skateroom included This skateboard deck comes ready to hang with mounting hardware and instructions and is part of a limited edition of 500. The top print features a printed signature and a hand-signed “Certificate of Authenticity” is also included. Jenny Holzer’s work is defined by her use of text. Whether questioning, describing, or lamenting a specific object or theme, her work’s true purpose is to agitate and disturb its audience at the core, a technique particularly effective when displayed in public spaces and mistaken for an advertisement. For this collaboration, the political turmoil and unrest that revolves around the Trump presidency in the U.S. takes center stage for a limited edition of art decks...
Maple
In a Glass House
By Jenny Holzer
Located in New Canaan, CT
Jenny Holzer In a Glass House, 2018 Etched glass mirror 36 x 24 inches Edition of 15, 5 AP's Stamped and numbered Text from Philip Johnson: The ...
Mirror
Sold
H 11.5 in W 15 in D 0.1 in
Jenny Holzer Temporary Tattoos, Edition of 200, ‘Protect Protect’ 2009
By Jenny Holzer
Located in CA, CA
A sheet of Jenny Holzer artworks in the form of temporary tattoos. These were produced in a limited run of 200 to accompany the ‘Protect Protect’ installation at Whitney Museum of Am...