conceptual art

noun

often capitalized C
: 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web American artist Joseph Kosuth, one of the pioneers of conceptual art, was chosen to take the idea of ‘proportion’ and express it on the bottle. Cathrine Todd, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023 All will complement two pillars of the Hirshhorn’s collection — Joseph Hirshhorn’s founding bequest and the 39 works from the Panza collection of minimalist and conceptual art that came into the collection in 2008. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2023 What a great idea: A work of conceptual art disguised as a TV show, one aimed at taking down both the art world and the stagnant state of competition television. John Anderson, WSJ, 28 Feb. 2023 This sort of conceptual art is integral to Barth’s practice. Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2023 There’s no extravagant food styling—dishes are shot plain and beautiful, more point of reference than conceptual art. Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 7 Jan. 2023 The conceptual art project, called ONEPIECE, sold out within days of its launch earlier this month. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Sep. 2022 Studying the work of artists Lawrence Weiner and Joseph Kosuth taught her that text had a place in conceptual art. Kelly Crow, WSJ, 29 Oct. 2022 Despite the controversy, Kiefer found a new mentor—the conceptual art pioneer Joseph Beuys—and his career soon took off. Jay Cheshes, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conceptual art.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conceptual art was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near conceptual art

Cite this Entry

“Conceptual art.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conceptual%20art. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on conceptual art

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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