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.
$11,000 / item
Impeach Marble Limited Edition Skateboard Deck
By Jenny Holzer
Located in Jersey City, NJ
The Skateroom x Jenny Holzer One skateboard deck Solid marble with engraving 31 x 8 inches Limited Edition of 25, unnumbered Hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity included SHIPPI...
Marble
$2,995
H 35.25 in W 35.25 in D 1.75 in
Vintage Modern Mod Op Art or Pop Art Mirror by Greg Copeland Style #1034
By Greg Copeland
Located in Topeka, KS
Gorgeous vintage modern mod op art or pop art mirror style # 1034 tag on reverse from Greg Copeland studio. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that th...
Aluminum
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
Large Scale Abstract Modern Metal Wall Sculpture
Located in Las Vegas, NV
One of a kind, cut steel wall sculpture. Dated August 19, 1997. A super fun piece that would look great in almost any space. If you're looking for a piece of art, different from the ...
Cut Steel
$3,511 / set
H 35.44 in W 35.44 in D 0.79 in
Brutalist Contrasting Black and Silver Wall Sculpture, 1960s Designed in Belgium
Located in Antwerp, BE
A 1960s setting of a Brutalist Wall Sculpture in metal and aluminum, made by a Belgium Unknown Artist. The quarter-circle design allows for many pattern opti...
Aluminum, Iron
Nature Harmonieuse Wall Panel, Ludovic Clément D’armont
By Ludovic Clément d’Armont
Located in Geneve, CH
Nature Harmonieuse wall panel, Ludovic Clément d’Armont Dimensions: W 122 x D 17 x H 240 cm Materials: blown glass, brass, cut crystal, aluminum, ...
Crystal, Aluminum, Brass
Folk Art Rat Trap
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Interesting folk art rat trap made up of computer switchboard and electrical components. Metal hardware is secure and is a functioning rat trap. Great scale, ...
Aluminum
"Victorian Soiree" Mixed-Media Tile by Pauline Hughes
Located in Chicago, IL
Liverpool-based artist Pauline Hughes takes a fluid approach to her ceramic practice, combining aspects of painting, collage, and printmaking into her w...
Ceramic, Paper
Joanna Poag Flourish II Wall Ceramic Sculptures, 2015
By Joanna Poag
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary American ceramic artist Joanna Poag's Flourish II Sculptures are hand built and glazed white to give them a lightness and more attention to shadow. Flourish II looks at ...
Ceramic
$1,000
H 18 in W 12.5 in D 1 in
Ceramic & Woven Fiber Wall Sculpture #845 - White Glaze, Navy & Pale Blue Cotton
By Karen Gayle Tinney
Located in Proctorsville, VT
White glazed ceramic panels with texture surrounded by woven cotton in navy and pale blue. The panels have dimension, creating an undulating surface. Hanging wire is included on the ...
Ceramic, Cotton
David Bowie Wall Piece Etched in Aluminium
Located in Doornspijk, NL
A stylized David Bowie in a piece of aluminum. His contours were created by cutting out his Silhouette in the material. Further details such as David’s hat, tie and jacket...
Aluminum
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
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...