Conceptual Art: A Critical Anthology

by Alexander Alberro (Editor), Blake Stimson (Editor)

This landmark anthology collects for the first time the key historical documents that helped give definition and purpose to the conceptual art movement. Compared to other avant-garde movements that emerged in the 1960s, conceptual art has received relatively little serious attention by art historians and critics of the past twenty-five years—in part because of the difficult, intellectual nature of the art. This lack of attention is particularly striking given the tremendous influence of conceptual art on the art of the last fifteen years, on critical discussion surrounding postmodernism, and on the use of theory by artists, curators, critics, and historians. This landmark anthology collects for the first time the key historical documents that helped give definition and purpose to the movement. It also contains more recent memoirs by participants, as well as critical histories of the period by some of today's leading artists and art historians. Many of the essays and artists' statements have been translated into English specifically for this volume. A good portion of the exchange between artists, critics, and theorists took place in difficult-to-find limited-edition catalogs, small journals, and private correspondence. These influential documents are gathered here for the first time, along with a number of previously unpublished essays and interviews. Contributors
Alexander Alberro, Art & Language, Terry Atkinson, Michael Baldwin, Robert Barry, Gregory Battcock, Mel Bochner, Sigmund Bode, Georges Boudaille, Marcel Broodthaers, Benjamin Buchloh, Daniel Buren, Victor Burgin, Ian Burn, Jack Burnham, Luis Camnitzer, John Chandler, Sarah Charlesworth, Michel Claura, Jean Clay, Michael Corris, Eduardo Costa, Thomas Crow, Hanne Darboven, Raúl Escari, Piero Gilardi, Dan Graham, Maria Teresa Gramuglio, Hans Haacke, Charles Harrison, Roberto Jacoby, Mary Kelly, Joseph Kosuth, Max Kozloff, Christine Kozlov, Sol LeWitt, Lucy Lippard, Lee Lozano, Kynaston McShine, Cildo Meireles, Catherine Millet, Olivier Mosset, John Murphy, Hélio Oiticica, Michel Parmentier, Adrian Piper, Yvonne Rainer, Mari Carmen Ramirez, Nicolas Rosa, Harold Rosenberg, Martha Rosler, Allan Sekula, Jeanne Siegel, Seth Siegelaub, Terry Smith, Robert Smithson, Athena Tacha Spear, Blake Stimson, Niele Toroni, Mierle Ukeles, Jeff Wall, Rolf Wedewer, Ian Wilson

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History

624 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 1999

Reviews

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to conceptual art by attending a retrospective show of Bruce Naumann's work around 20 years ago at the Walker Gallery. I'd seen stuff like that before, but hadn't known the "category" of conceptual art existed. This anthology is a very good collection of some of the more pertinent writings (and some examples) of conceptual art. What struck me is that most of the writings from the artists who began the "movement" (and if there is one thing this collection makes clear, it's that it is impossible to speak of conceptual art as a "movement" in any sort of easy, art-historical terms) in the mid to late 1960s reflect their each artist's own concerns with the commodity status of art and the gallery system (or the sense of stagnation in art circles of that time). However, most of those writing are entirely incoherent to someone entering them (like me) from the outside. I was much more impressed by the work that began to appear in the 1970s that sought to seriously theorize what was going on and what the various social and economic problems were that these artists were wanting to take on, change, or avoid. Much of t his work is theorized in Marxist form (though some do use some of the continental structuralist and poststructuralist theories that would make up "postmodernism"), and much of that theoretical work is very impressive indeed. The best of it, paradoxically, shows how weak how much of a failure much of the work of conceptual artists actually was (such as the work of Adrian Piper and Benjamin H. D. Buchloe). Most of the "theory" put forth by Art and Language (in either its British or New York collectives) is terrible, Stalinist crap, including most everything included here by Joseph Kosuth (who, early on and especially by the 1980s and 1990s, seemed much more interested in settling personal scores than in theorizing about art or the art system more generally).

What is missing from this anthology is more of the contemporary voices from the 1960s and 1970s who were not very impressed by conceptual art (there is one article from the time in this category and one retrospective account published here). Otherwise, this is a very deep and interesting collection that illuminates the complexities of the situation(s) around conceptual art both at the time and in various forms of retrospection.

[fito · Rating 4 out of 5]

an incredible anthology of depth and insight into conceptual art practices, and one that recognizes and reaches beyond the traditional focus on the american and european Art&Language groups. i was happy to see mention and inquiry of on kawara, miereles, and other more international voices of the movement.

the text definitely requires a great level of comprehension of the subject matter (one greater than i was prepared for), and does not hold your hand in its journey through the conceptual art timeline.

good read if not mildly intense for anyone interested in the movement.