Movement Conceptual Art

Conceptual artists were inspired by Marcel Duchamp's Readymades, which questioned the very idea of what art is, and were also influenced by the extreme simplicity of Minimalism. However unlike Minimalism, Conceptual art didn't need to physically take on an artistic form, it is completely self-referential and ideas alone could be considered artworks. Various art forms were explored in Conceptual art, such as performance, installations, land art and body art. For many Conceptual artists, artworks were created by both the artist and the viewer; although the artist creates the piece, it is the viewer that completes it.

Sol LeWitt's Paragraphs on Conceptual Art (1967) was considered Conceptual art's manifesto.  LeWitt claimed that the most important factor in creating Conceptual art isn't its physical aesthetic, but rather the process of establishing an artistic concept or idea.

Joseph Kosuth: one of the central figures in developing idea-based art. His three-part essay, Art after Philosophy (1969), claimed art was self-referential and didn't need to be produced physically. 

Sol LeWitt: leader of the Conceptual art movement, LeWitt believed artists should be able to simply think up an artwork and not have to materialise it physically. Although LeWitt's work spanned various art forms such as, painting, sculpture and drawing, he equally produced many Conceptual pieces that were merely ideas. 

John Baldessari: a well-known American Conceptual artist, Baldessari famously stated: "I guess a lot of it's just lashing out, because I didn't know how to be an artist, and all this time spent alone in the dark in these studios and importing my culture and constant questions. I'd say, 'Well, why is this art? Why isn't that art?'"

Joseph Beuys: German-American artist who was associated with both the Conceptual art and Fluxus movements. Beuys' portfolio is extremely diverse and he is renowned for his artworks which use animal fat and felt. 

No matter the form, choosing your artwork always begins with an idea. However, at Artsper, we know that the process of finding your next work is a big commitment, so here are a few artists to get you started: Orlan, Art Grafts and Christo.