Conceptual Art
History of Modern Concept Arts from Marcel Duchamp to Damien Hirst & Tracey Emin.
Visual Arts

Conceptual Art

A modern form of artistic expression which gives priority to an idea presented by visual means that are themselves secondary to the idea. Conceptual art, while having no intrinsic financial value, can deliver a powerful message, and thus has served as a vehicle for socio-political comment, as well as a broad challenge to the tradition of a 'work of art' being a crafted unique object. Indeed, some conceptual artists consider that art is created by the viewer, not by the artist or the artwork itself.

History

The ideas behind this art form were explored by Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), the so-called father of Conceptual Art, although the term was first used by Edward Kienholz, in the late 1950s. Duchamp, who became the darling of the radical chic movement in Paris during the early twentieth century, created numerous challenging works such as his readymades series, of which the most celebrated was Fountain (1917), a standard urinal basin, which Duchamp submitted for inclusion in the annual, exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists in New York. (It was rejected.). Later proto-type conceptual works included '4-33' - the controversial musical composition by John Milton Cage Jr, (1912–1992), the three movements of which contain not a single sound or note of music.

That said, conceptual art was in part a reaction against the tenets of formalism as expressed by the influential New York art critic Clement Greenberg. Formalism considers that the formal qualities of a work - such as line, shape and colour - are self-sufficient for its appreciation, and all other considerations - such as representational, ethical or social aspects - are secondary or redundant.

Core Meaning

The first quintessential conceptual artwork was Erased de Kooning Drawing (1953) by Robert Rauschenberg (b.1925) which, as the name indicates, is a drawing by the Abstract Expressionist Willem De Kooning (1904-97) which Rauschenberg erased. The work raises interesting questions about the nature of art. Is the erasure of another artist's work a creative act? Is the finished product as important or more important than the idea behind it? And so on. The work now resides in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Emerging as an international art movement during the 1960s and 1970s, its profile was raised significantly by 'Conceptual Art and Conceptual Aspects' - the first purely conceptual art exhibition in America, which was hosted by the New York Cultural Center. Leading conceptual artists included Sol LeWitt (b.1928) and Joseph Kosuth (b.1945), who both exemplified the conceptualist notion that genuine art is not a unique or valuable physical object created by the physical skill of the artist - like a drawing, painting or sculpture - but instead is a concept or an idea. Sol LeWitt, the High Priest of Conceptualism attached great importance to the primacy of 'the idea', admitting in his Paragraphs on Conceptual Art (1967) that "all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art." His attitude can be illustrated by the fact that many of his works can be constructed by anyone who follows his written instructions.

British Conceptualism

A modern art group known as YBAs (Young British Artists), appeared during the 1990s, whose approach was exemplified by the conceptual-style works of Damien Hirst (b.1965) such as The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991), (his shark), and Away from the Flock (1994). Strictly speaking, however, the YBA style isnot conceptual, since it relies heavily for its impact on the actual art object itself, despite its lack of artistic skill or craftwork.

Conceptual Artists

Other famous artists involved in Conceptual art include:

Yves Klein, whose works included Aerostatic Sculpture (1957, Paris), during which 1001 blue balloons were released into the sky from Galerie Iris Clert. The following year Klein asserted that his paintings were now invisible and demonstrated this fact by exhibiting an empty room (Le Vide, the Void) - an early example of Installation art. Another of his conceptualist arrangements (1962), involved the sale of his 'pictorial sensitivity' (not defined) in exchange for gold. Purchasers (there were 7) received a certificate testifying to the 'transfer'. Afterwards, they destroyed the certificate while Klein threw the gold into the River Seine.

Stanley Brouwn, famous for his artistic declaration in 1960 that all shoe shops in Amsterdam comprised an exhibition of his work.

Piero Manzoni, who in 1961 scandalized the art world by exhibiting cans of his own feces. He also exhibited balloons containing his breath. Another of his techniques was to affix his signature on the bodies of customers, thereby turning them into living works of art.

Christo Jaracheff (b.1935), the Bulgarian sculptor and conceptualist, famous for his 1962 work entitled Iron Curtain. This consisted of a barrier of oil drums built in a narrow Parisian street which caused traffic gridlock. He stated that the 'art' lay not in the barricade itself but in the ensuing traffic jam.

Yoko Ono, future wife of Beatle John Lennon publishes Grapefruit (1964): A Book of Instructions and Drawings, detailing how to obtain an aesthetic experience by cutting up and eating grapefruits.

John Baldessari, known for his 1970 film during which a number of intellectually important observations on conceptual art by Sol LeWitt are accompanied by popular tunes like 'Some Enchanted Evening' and 'Camptown Races'.

Douglas Huebler, noted for his 1970 exhibition of 12 photographs taken every two minutes whilst driving his car along a road for 24 minutes.

Walter De Maria, who in 1977 sank a one-kilometre brass rod into the earth in North Germany, calling the result Vertical Earth Kilometer. The 'art', she stated, therefore existed in peoples' mind.

Christopher Williams, noted for his 1989 work, Angola to Vietnam. This comprised a set of monochrome photos of glass-enclosed specimens from Harvard's Botanical Museum, selected according to a list of the thirty-six countries that witnessed political disappearances in 1985.

Tracey Emin, whose 1999 exhibit for the Turner Prize was 'My Bed', an installation consisting of an unmade bed, strewn with personal items like, condoms, blood-stained panties, bottles, and bedroom slippers.

• For more information about avante-garde art in Ireland, see: Irish Art Guide.

• How to Update This Mini Review of Conceptual Art.

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