“A poetics of drunkenness” is how the artist Martha Rosler once described her 24-panel photo-text installation, The Bowery in Two Inadequate Descriptive Systems.
Conceptual Art
Sometimes art is paintings, and sometimes it's a chair. Why?
The Case for Conceptual Art
Conceptualism questions art’s role as a showcase for the creative genius and technical abilities of the artist.
Conceptual Art: An Introduction
Kosuth wrote that “being an artist now means to question the nature of art.” Take a seat to find out how he did it.
Joseph Kosuth, One and Three Chairs
Yoko Ono issued instructive prompts in both her art practice and anti-war activism.
The Case for Yoko Ono
Kusama’s experiments with infinity have earned her regard in New York, Japan, and the world over.
Yayoi Kusama (Tate)
The “father of video art” argued that electronic communication, not transportation, unites the modern world.
Nam June Paik, Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., ...
Haacke documents the provenance of a Seurat sketch held in a bank vault to lay bare the commodification of art.
Hans Haacke, Seurat’s “Les Poseuses” (small version), ...
Baldessari adopts a familiar school-room punishment as a promise to himself.
John Baldessari, I Will Not Make Any ...
These metal balls draw attention to the economic system embedded in art, and the vanity of its viewers.
Yayoi Kusama, Narcissus Garden
Using the medium of mass culture, Nauman brought high-brow questions about the role of art to broader society.
Browse Smarthistory images for teaching & learning!
