Skip to main content
Questions & Answers
Our trusted network of 1stDibs sellers answer common questions

What is conceptual art in contemporary art?

1 Answer
What is conceptual art in contemporary art?
In contemporary art, conceptual art is a movement that began in the 1960s. Artists producing conceptual art assign more importance to the idea behind the art than to the piece itself. An example is Joseph Kosuth’s One and Three Chairs, a piece consisting of a real chair, a photograph of a chair and the dictionary definition of the word chair. When the work was displayed, Kosuth included instructions for any chair to be photographed and then displayed beside its image. In this way, the chair itself is not the artwork. Rather, the art comes from examining the way the object, image and words provide competing and complementary definitions of what a chair is. Find a large selection of fine art on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertFebruary 21, 2024
Shop for Art on 1stDibs
Balloon Dog (After) - Silver
By After Jeff Koons
Located in Pampilhosa da Serra, PT
A one time exclusive re-edition of 500 pcs from the highly popular 999 pcs edition of the famous "Balloon Dog". Cold cast resin, comes with its original box and certificate of authe...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Edge of the Island, plein air wide view of an open glowing field and water
Located in Edgartown, MA
“People sometimes ask me how I start a painting. Starting a painting is easy. I just put down two strokes of color. The interaction between these two marks is the beginning of the di...
Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Seascape Moonlight with Crashing Waves Vintage British Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
Seascape Moonlight with Crashing Waves Vintage British Oil Painting Art measures 20 x 16 inches Frame measures 24 x 20 inches This painting depicts a serene and dramatic coastal sc...
Category

1980s Post-War Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pocket Gooseberry (Hairy) 2, Orig. Oil Painting, Still Life, Gooseberry, Frui
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Green Gooseberry (Hairy) 2 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to b...
Category

2010s Realist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Large Standing Figure VI (contemporary bronze sculpture)
Located in Paris, FR
Large Standing Figure VI (Grande figure debout VI), large-scale sculpture by French contemporary artist Pierre Yermia. Bronze, 148 cm × 31 cm × 27 cm. Limited edition of 8 + 4 A.P. He has been developing for thirty years a singular work, filled with human and animal characters...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

À côté n°3 by Camille Brasselet - Contemporary fine art photography, woman, nude
Located in Paris, FR
À côté n°3 is a photograph by French contemporary artist Camille Brasselet. It is a pigment print on Fine Art paper technique. This photograph is sold unframed as a print only. It ...
Category

2010s Color Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Pigment

Shop All