Mel Bochner: Language 1966-2006

by Johanna Burton, James Rondeau (Contributor), James Meyer (Contributor)

A leading practitioner of conceptual art, Mel Bochner (b. 1940) was one of the first artists in the 1960s to introduce language into the visual field. Despite their significance, these contributions remain unexplored in art historical scholarship. This fascinating book provides the first overview of Bochner’s language-based works from the past forty years, including previously unpublished images and projects.


Long preoccupied by language and its influence on vision and perception, Bochner has recently shifted from a more analytical use of language to an exploration of the way in which color diverts a text from its duty to convey meaning. As a result, language becomes a tool in Bochner’s interrogation into how an object—be it a painting, sculpture, mathematical equation, or a complete replacement of the “object” with language itself—can function as a work of art.

Genres: Art

148 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2007

About the author

Johanna Burton is Keith Haring Director and Curator of Education and Public Engagement at the New Museum in New York and the series editor for the Critical Anthologies in Art and Culture.