Mel Bochner experimented with a range of styles before finding his eventual success as a pioneer in Conceptual art. An audacious 1966 show at School of Visual Arts (SVA) in Manhattan that he presented, “Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art,” remains a seminal touchstone for Conceptualism.
Bochner was born to a Pittsburgh sign painter in 1940. While attending the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon) in the late 1950s, he studied color theory and modernist movements as well as classical drawing, a balance that was formative in his career. After graduation, he moved to San Francisco, creating paintings influenced by Clyfford Still and Jean Dubuffet.
It wasn’t until Bochner “found his way out of the labyrinth of late Abstract Expressionism,” as he put it to The Brooklyn Rail, that he began to create his most meaningful work. Following a stint auditing philosophy classes after a friend introduced him to the work of Heidegger, Bochner relocated to New York, finding work as a guard at the Jewish Museum. In Manhattan, he ran in the same circles as Dan Flavin, Brice Marden and Donald Judd.
“One of the conversations going on in New York in the late ’60s was about the relationship of the object to the art experience,” Bochner said. “...Younger artists like myself were talking about what it would mean to eliminate the object altogether.” This idea would become the foundation of the Conceptual movement, in which Bochner was instrumental. The artist is probably best known for his text-focused paintings, including a series that plays with the phrase “Blah Blah Blah.” He produces work that regards art as an experience, rather than an object, centering on the process of creation and viewership as opposed to the finished product.
Bochner’s “Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art” featured drawings, notes and outlines from the likes of Milton Glaser, Carl Andre, Sol LeWitt and others as well as pages from Scientific American. Bochner, then an art history professor at SVA, photocopied the assemblage of works, added them to binders and positioned them on pedestals for the exhibition because the show’s organizers lacked the funds to frame the pieces.
Bochner’s works can be found in the collections of many major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Find original Mel Bochner prints and other art on 1stDibs.
$17,500
Mel Bochner - Kick Against the Pricks Blah Blah Blah, Silkscreen Signed/N Framed
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
MEL BOCHNER Kick Against the Pricks (Blah..Blah...Blah...), 2018 Two color silkscreen on boutique silk fair paper with blue-colored back, 350 gsm paper Signed, dated, and numbered 29...
Screen
Howl! -- Screen Print, Glitter, Text Art by Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in London, GB
Howl!, 2022 Mel Bochner Screenprint with interference ink and glitter Signed and numbered from the edition of 30 Sheet: 81.6 × 48.3 cm (32.1 × 19 in)
Glitter, Screen
"Untitled" by Mel Bochner (Red, White, Abstract, Expressionist, Screenprint)
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
One screenprint in colors on wove paper, 1984, signed in pencil, dated and numbered from the edition of 144 (total edition includes 18 artist's proofs), 42 3/4 by 35 inches (sheet), ...
Screen
$25,000
Mel Bochner - Unnameable, Monoprint with collage, engraving & embossment, Signed
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
Fresh to market - UNIQUE! Mel Bochner UNNAMEABLE Monoprint with collage, engraving and embossment on hand- dyed Twinrocker handmade paper Signed in graphite recto Frame included - he...
Handmade Paper, Engraving, Monoprint
Amazing - Mint condition screenprint by Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in Indianapolis, IN
Mel Bochner Amazing, 2019-2022 Signed and dated on front in graphite Etching in 18 colors 36 x 27 1/2 in 91.4 x 69.8 cm Edition of 30 plus 5 AP, 5 PP, 4 HC; this is 2/30 Provenance:...
Etching
"Chuckle" signed monoprint in oil on handmade paper by artist Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Chuckle" monoprint in oil with collage, engraving and embossment on handmade paper in bright colors by artist Mel Bochner framed in an open white wooden frame. Signed and dated rect...
Oil, Handmade Paper, Engraving, Monoprint
Blah, Blah, Blah (Limited Edition face mask with Bochner's most famous text)
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
Brand new in original sealed packaging (not shown) - never opened MEL BOCHNER Blah, Blah, Blah Limited Edition Mask, 2021 Machine washable lightweight fabric with three layers of pro...
Textile, Cotton, Mixed Media, Screen
Floating World 5, Signed Modern Woodcut by Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in Long Island City, NY
Mel Bochner's Floating World (Ukiyo-E) print series consists of five woodcuts: Floating World 1, Floating World 2, Floating World 3, Floating World 4, and Floating World 5. Produced ...
Pencil, Woodcut
$48,000
"Kvetch" monoprint in oil with collage, engraving and embossment by Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Kvetch" monoprint in oil with collage, engraving and embossment on handmade paper by artist Mel Bochner from Two Palms Publishing. Signed and dated Bochner 2021 lower right recto. I...
Oil, Handmade Paper, Engraving
Four Color Quartets, Abstract Lithograph by Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Mel Bochner, American (1940 - ) Title: Four Color Quartets Year: 1990 Medium: Four Lithographs, signed and numbered verso Edition: 8/35 Overall Size...
Lithograph
Four Color Quartets (Second Quartet)
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
Suite $10,000. Individual Quartets $3,500. First Quartet 35 in. x 35 in. Second Quartet 35 in. x 45 in. Third Quartet 45 in. x 35 in. Fourth Quartet 45 in. x 45 in Signed and d...
Lithograph
$29,000
"Gobbledygook" monoprint with collage, engraving and embossment by Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Gobbledygook" monoprint with collage, engraving and embossment on hand-dyed Twinrocker handmade paper from Two Palms Publishing. Signed and dated Bochner 2017 lower right recto. Ima...
Oil, Handmade Paper, Engraving
Brightly Colored Monoprint by Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in Los Angeles, CA
"Meaningless" – Signed, titled, dated, 2004 monoprint-on-paper artwork by notable, internationally exhibited American artist, Mel Bochner (b. 1940). Selected solo exhibitions: Carneg...
Paper
Four Color Quartets (Third Quartet)
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
Suite $10,000. Individual Quartets $3,500. Signed and dated on verso. First Quartet 35 in. x 35 in. Second Quartet 35 in. x 45 in. Third Quartet 45 in. x 35 in. Fourth Quartet ...
Lithograph
Four Color Quartets (Fourth Quartet)
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
Suite $10,000. Individual Quartets $3,000. First Quartet 35 in. x 35 in. Second Quartet 35 in. x 45 in. Third Quartet 45 in. x 35 in. Fourth Quartet 45 in. x 45 in. Signed and ...
Lithograph
Four Color Quartets (First Quartet)
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
Suite $10,000. Individual Quartets $3,500. First Quartet 35 in. x 35 in. Second Quartet 35 in. x 45 in. Third Quartet 45 in. x 35 in. Fourth Quartet 45 in. x 45 in. Signed and ...
Lithograph
Four Quartets Third Quartet
By Mel Bochner
Located in Missouri, MO
Four Quartets Third Quartet, 1990 Mel Bochner (American, b. 1940) Signed and Numbered Verso Lithograph in Four Panels 42 x 34.5 inches 52.25 x 44 inches with frame Mel Bochner, a po...
Lithograph
Price Upon Request
HA
By Mel Bochner
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Monoprint in oil paint with collage, engraving and embossment on hand-dyed handmade paper Signed and dated to lower margin
Monoprint, Oil
Price Upon Request
BLAH BLAH BLAH
By Mel Bochner
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Rare early Mel Bochner painting - unique - oil on canvas - exhibited at Peter Freeman New York Signed, dated, titled to verso
Oil, Canvas
Tea for two – Tod
By Harry Bunce
Located in Deddington, GB
Tea for two – Tod by Harry Bunce [2017] limited_edition Screen Print Edition number 146 Image size: H:25 cm x W:31 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:41 cm x W:49 cm x D:0.3cm Sol...
Paper, Screen
$100
H 14 in W 11 in
PHOTOGRAPH - Print on Handmade Paper - Tainan, Taiwan - Street Photography, City
By Carleigh Thomas
Located in Signal Mountain, TN
This museum-quality photographic print on handmade paper by Carleigh Thomas measures 9 x 6”, and is on a mat that measures 14 x 11”. The photograph was taken in Tainan, Taiwan and is...
Handmade Paper, Photographic Paper, Color
$100
H 11 in W 14 in
DISCONNECT - Photograph on Handmade Paper - Tainan, Taiwan, Urban, Architecture
By Carleigh Thomas
Located in Signal Mountain, TN
This museum-quality photographic print on handmade paper by Carleigh Thomas measures 6 x 9”, and is on a mat that measures 11 x 14”. The photograph was taken in Tainan, Taiwan and is...
Handmade Paper, Photographic Paper, Color
$750
H 30.25 in W 22.75 in
Mon Jardin Zoologique /// Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Animal Modern Art
By Serge Helenon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Serge Helenon (French, 1934-) Title: "Mon Jardin Zoologique (My Zoological Garden)" *Signed by Helenon in pencil lower right Year: 1989 Medium: Original Carborundum Engraving...
Handmade Paper, Engraving, Intaglio
$4,000
H 39.38 in W 39.38 in
Original Damien Hirst, 2022, Signed, Nūr Jahān (H10-2) from The Empresses
By Damien Hirst
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Damien Hirst Title: Nūr Jahān (H10-2) Medium: Laminated giclee print with screenprinted glitter on aluminum composite panel Date: 2022 Edition: 1946/3041 Sheet Size: 39 3/8" ...
Glitter, Giclée, Screen
$3,000
H 23.75 in W 18.75 in
Tool Box 5 Screen Print, Hand Signed, 1966, Edition of 150, Framed
By Jim Dine
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed on front; numbered on verso by the artist. From the 'A Tool Box' Portfolio. Printed by Christopher Prater; published by Editions Alecto. Artwork is in excellent condition...
Screen, Paper
Sonata
By Mark Tobey
Located in New York, NY
A very good, richly-inked impression of this color screenprint on Japon nacré. The deluxe, Roman numeral edition of 60 on Japon nacré, aside from the regular edition of 100. Signed a...
Color, Screen
Nemrik, from The Near East Series
By Frank Stella
Located in Palo Alto, CA
Frank Stella Nemrik, from the Near East Series, 1999 is a chaotically vibrant work that encapsulates Stella’s abstract style so poignantly. Using a mix of bright, neon colors, Stella...
Handmade Paper, Etching, Screen, Engraving, Lithograph, Stencil
$1,200
H 22.5 in W 18 in
Présence /// French African Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Engraving Modern
By Serge Helenon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Serge Helenon (French, 1934-) Title/Portfolio: "Présence (Presence)" *Each work is signed by Helenon in pencil lower left or lower right Year: 1985 Medium: The Complete Portf...
Handmade Paper, Engraving, Intaglio
$95,000
H 77.75 in W 57.25 in D 12 in
Jonah Historically Regarded, from the Moby Dick Domes series, Signed, 1992
By Frank Stella
Located in Aventura, FL
From the Moby Dick Domes series. Aquatint, etching, engraving, relief, screen print and stencil with hand-coloring in acrylic on handmade, shaped TGL paper. Hand signed and dated l...
Paper, Acrylic, Engraving, Etching, Aquatint, Screen, Stencil
"John Lennon, Fillmore East, NYC, August 1972" Bob Gruen
By Bob Gruen
Located in North Adams, MA
In 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono conceived a concert at Madison Garden called “One to One.” It was a benefit for the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, a facility for mental...
Screen
Magic Rainbow II, Limited Edition Signed Print
By Yaacov Agam
Located in San Rafael, CA
Yaacov Agam (b. 1928) Magic Rainbow II, late 20th century Screenprint in colors on wove paper LXIII/XC (edition 63/90) Signed and numbered in pencil along lower edge 13 x 15...
Screen
$6,863
H 29.93 in W 23.63 in
Crowning of a Satyr, Contemporary Screen Print with Gold Leaf, 2010
By Chris Ofili
Located in London, GB
Edition of 125 40 colour screenprint with hand applied 24-carat gold leaf on Somerset Tub Sized Satin White 410gsm. 76 x 60 cm (29.9 x 23.6 in) Signed and dated by the artist Chris...
Gold Leaf
$4,500
H 40 in W 54 in
Saratoga, Abstract Monoprint on Handmade Paper by Nancy Genn
By Nancy Genn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Nancy Genn, American (1929 - ) Title: Saratoga Year: circa 1978 Medium: Monoprint on hand-made paper, signed l.l. Size: 40 x 54 inches (101 x 137 cm)
Handmade Paper, Monoprint
$9,200
H 57.75 in W 6.25 in
GEOMETRIC ABSTRACT 1969 “Twin Planes” Screenprint on Canvas
By Kenneth Noland
Located in New York, NY
Kenneth Noland "Twin Planes" USA, 1969 Screenprint on canvas laminated to board From an edition of 200 6.25"H 58.75"W (artwork) Original Period frame Overall good condition 'Twin ...
Lithograph, Canvas, Screen
Cubes, Signed Abstract Etching by Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in Long Island City, NY
Mel Bochner studied at Carnegie Institute of Technology where he received his B.F.A. in 1962. Since 1964 he has lived and worked in New York City. He has exhibited widely in the Unit...
Etching
Sold
H 20 in W 15 in
Conceptual Art Hand Signed Mel Bochner Lithograph Print Abstract Geometric Ed 30
By Mel Bochner
Located in Surfside, FL
Mel Bochner (American, 1940-2025) Color lithograph (color line photo-engraving on off-white wove paper) Hand signed and numbered in graphite pencil This is a PP (Printers Proof) outs...
Lithograph
Sold
H 20 in W 15 in
Conceptual Art Hand Signed Mel Bochner Lithograph Print Abstract Geometric Ed 30
By Mel Bochner
Located in Surfside, FL
Mel Bochner (American, 1940-2025) Color lithograph (color line photo-engraving on off-white wove paper) Hand signed and numbered in graphite pencil This is a PP (Printers Proof) outs...
Lithograph
Sold
H 20 in W 15 in
Conceptual Art Hand Signed Mel Bochner Lithograph Print Abstract Geometric Ed 30
By Mel Bochner
Located in Surfside, FL
Mel Bochner (American, 1940-2025) Color lithograph (color line photo-engraving on off-white wove paper) Hand signed and numbered in graphite pencil This is a PP (Printers Proof) outs...
Lithograph
Head Honcho, 2012
By Mel Bochner
Located in Palo Alto, CA
Mel Bochner's Head Honcho, 2012, is a unique monoprint that exemplifies his exploration of language's power and ambiguity. This work is part of his ongoing series inspired by thesaur...
Oil, Handmade Paper, Engraving, Monoprint
Sold
H 40 in W 31 in D 2.5 in
"Amazing" framed, signed limited edition etching on paper by artist Mel Bochner
By Mel Bochner
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Amazing" framed etching in 18 colors on paper by artist Mel Bochner. Numbered 22/30 and signed and dated Bochner '22 lower right recto. Text says: "AMAZING! AWE-SOME! BREATH-TAKING!...
Paper, Etching
Mel Bochner "Crazy (With background Noise)"
By Mel Bochner
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Bochner, Mel Title: Crazy over the top (With background Noise) Date: 2018 Medium: Screenprint in colors with black gloss ink on wove paper Unframed Dimensions: 21.7" x 23.6" Framed Dimensions: 24" x 26" Signature: Signed by Artist Edition: 17/30 Published by Two Palms Press, Inc., New York, Printed by Luther Davis, BRT Printshop, Brooklyn, New York Reference: Krakow Witkin...
Screen
'Blah Blah Blah' Unique work, 2024
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
'Blah Blah Blah', 2024 is a unique work by Mel Bochner, with dimensions 71.875 x 48.875 in., and signed by the Artist. This monoprint is published by Two Palms, New York. Mel Bochner...
Handmade Paper, Monoprint
Blah, Blah, Blah, 2024
By Mel Bochner
Located in Palo Alto, CA
The background consists of bright colors. The letters laid upon the top are built in 3-dimension of oil paint in solid, strong colors. The embossed letters are executed in a capitalized and uniform type face with rounded corners and crisp edges. The pigment of the oil paint glows in hues of pink, orange, purple and yellow. The repeated word occupies the expanse of the image as if composed within a linear grid. Throughout this grid, Bochner plays with the levels of contrast, heightening the intensity in certain sections, and reducing the degree in other areas. The colorful monoprint is not only fun to look at, but carries and air of gaiety around the subject of fine art – something that is so often considered all too serious. Bochner uses powerful words to make the viewer think about how they “ascribe character and feelings to things, even the inanimate, that have none.” He seeks to incite a reaction in the viewer, and certainly the use of such color and such bold language will no doubt do the trick. Created in 2024, this monoprint with collage, engraving and embossment on hand-dyed Twinrocker handmade paper is hand signed and dated by Mel Bochner (Pittsburgh, 1940 - ) in pencil in the lower recto. Mel Bochner Blah...
Oil, Monoprint
Ha Ha Ha, 2024
By Mel Bochner
Located in Palo Alto, CA
The background consists of bright colors. The letters laid upon the top are built in 3-dimension of oil paint in solid, strong colors. The embossed letters are executed in a capitali...
Monoprint
Crazy over the top (With background Noise)
By Mel Bochner
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Bochner, Mel Title: Crazy over the top (With background Noise) Date: 2018 Medium: Screenprint in colors with black gloss ink on wove paper Unframed Dimensions: 21.7" x 2...
Screen
Sold
H 74 in W 54 in
'Blah, Blah, Blah' Limited Edition Black and Grey Conceptual Screen Print, 2022
By Mel Bochner
Located in New York, NY
‘Blah, Blah, Blah’ is an eye-catching silkscreen print with color-shifting ink by contemporary artist Mel Bochner. This piece was created in 2022 and is part of a limited Edition of ...
Screen
Blah, Blah, Blah
By Mel Bochner
Located in Palo Alto, CA
Mel Bochner Blah, Blah, Blah, 2023 is a quintessential offering from American conceptualist, Mel Bochner, balancing and the artificial and organic nat...
Oil, Handmade Paper, Engraving, Monoprint
Blah, Blah, Blah
By Mel Bochner
Located in Palo Alto, CA
Rich colors stand out upon your first glance at Mel Bochner's Blah, Blah, Blah. The background consists of bright colors. The letters laid upon the top are built in 3-dimension of oi...
Oil, Handmade Paper, Engraving, Monoprint
Scoundrel
By Mel Bochner
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Bochner, Mel Title: Scoundrel Date: 2011 Medium: Monoprint with collage, engraving and embossment on hand-dyed Twinrocker handmade paper Unframed Dimensions: 12" x 9" Fr...
Monoprint, Engraving