Rewriting Conceptual Art

An international movement that developed along separate but parallel lines in Europe and America during the 1970s, Conceptual art grew out of the legacy of the Surrealist Marcel Duchamp. Aiming to completely redefine the relationships between the production, definition and owndership of artworks and their various audiences, Conceptual artists rejected traditional formats, media and definitions. Instead they chose to address some of the key issues underlying modern life and art. These included the gulf between initial idea and finished work, the value assigned to works of art in modern economies, the role of women and of feminine creativity in general, the politics of exhibition organization - in short, the ways art and the art world have been defined for centuries. Among the notable figures whose work is discussed in essays ranging from the evaluative to the theoretical are Judy Chicago, Robert Morris, Sol Le Witt, Marcel Broodthaers, Mary Kelly and Lawrence Wiener. The influence of Conceptual art continues to be felt by the work of such controversial young artists as Rachel Whiteread and Damien Hirst. Investigating and documenting the histories, themes, theories and forms of Conceptual Art, this text argues forcefully for its vitality and potential as well as examining its influence on today's contemporary art.