conceptual art

conceptual art

noun, often capitalized C

Definition of CONCEPTUAL ART

: an art form in which the artist's intent is to convey a concept rather than to create an art object

— conceptual artist noun often capitalized C

First Known Use of CONCEPTUAL ART

circa 1969

Rhymes with CONCEPTUAL ART

for the most part, kinetic art, minimal art, optical art, performance art, practical art

conceptual art

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of various art forms in which the idea for a work of art is considered more important than the finished product. The theory was explored by Marcel Duchamp from c. 1910, but the term was coined in the late 1950s by Edward Kienholz. In the 1960s and '70s it became a major international movement; its leading exponents were Sol LeWitt (1928–2007) and Joseph Kosuth (b. 1945). Its adherents radically redefined art objects, materials, and techniques, and began questioning the very existence and use of art. Its claim is that the “true” work of art is not a physical object produced by the artist for exhibition or sale, but rather consists of “concepts” or “ideas.” Typical conceptual works include photographs, texts, maps, graphs, and image-text combinations that are deliberately rendered visually uninteresting or trivial in order to divert attention to the “ideas” they express. Its manifestations have been extremely diverse; a well-known example is Kosuth's One and Three Chairs (1965), which combines a real chair, a photograph of a chair, and a dictionary definition of “chair.” Conceptual art was fundamental to much of the art produced in the late 20th century.