Conceptual art

Joseph Kosuth One and three tables 1965
  • Joseph Kosuth One and three tables 1965
  • Sol LeWitt Wall drawing #338 1971
  • Mark Dion The return (a cosmological cabinet for New South Wales) 2008
  • Lawrence Weiner (THIS AND THAT) PUT (HERE AND THERE) OUT OF SIGHT OF POLARIS 1990

Questions and activities

  • The artists listed here have challenged the public’s understanding of what art is and what should be exhibited in a gallery. What is your reaction to these works? Do you find them controversial, challenging, funny? Why? Imagine you are a curator at the Gallery and develop a case for the inclusion of one of these works in the collection.
  • Marcel Duchamp is often considered to be conceptual art’s forefather. He once said that 'a title is an extra colour in an artist’s palette’. What does this mean? Look at each artwork and then its title. Does knowing the title change your understanding of the work? If so, how did it change? Can you think of a new title for each of these works? How do the new titles change the work’s meaning?
  • Sol LeWitt developed a style of art called conceptual art, where the ideas for works of art are as important as the final completed object. LeWitt would write instructions for professional draughtspeople to follow in order to make the drawings. Experiment with writing your own set of instructions for a drawing and ask a group of your classmates to complete the task. Compare the results and discuss the variations.
  • Research LeWitt’s art practice and theories. How do his definitions of an artwork and the role of the artist compare to more traditional definitions? Discuss your view of LeWitt’s position, making specific reference to his body of work. To what extent have his theories influenced contemporary art practice?
  • Research the art practice of Mark Dion. How has Dion extended our understanding of the role of the artist? Have the relationships between the artist, audience and art world been questioned? What is your opinion of his approach?