Barbara Kruger Art
Rising to prominence in the 1980s, iconic conceptual artist Barbara Kruger pioneered a combination of type and image in her signature colors of black, white and red that continues to captivate audiences and posit a forceful feminist critique of media and politics.
Kruger examines social issues and cultural forces like sexism and consumerism in her typically large-scale, widely imitated work, which sees her layering terse chunks of text in fonts such as Futura Bold Oblique over found black and white mass media photographic images. Radical and stimulating, her collages draw on her background as a commercial graphic designer for magazines at Condé Nast as well as her albeit brief time as a student at the Parsons School of Design in New York City, where Kruger studied under artists such as Diane Arbus.
Kruger’s use of straightforward, accessible language to make powerful statements recalls advertising slogans or magazine headlines — by employing the structure of the very thing she is critiquing, she subverts that specific medium’s reach and meaning.
The phrases that Kruger superimposes onto the imagery in her work are as pointed, direct and authoritative as the visuals, with best-known examples including I Shop Therefore I Am and You Are a Captive Audience. The artist is also a staunch feminist, using her work to make overt political statements such as in Untitled (Your Body Is a Battleground), which was initially created in 1989 to promote a women’s march in Washington, D.C., aimed at antiabortion legislation. By using “you” and “I,” Kruger invites viewers into the piece and forces them to reflect on their own position in society as well as how they interact with one another in contemporary life. In an increasingly politicized era that finds us engulfed in imagery like never before, her art is more urgent and arresting than ever.
Kruger’s works can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Whitney Museum of American Art and other institutions.
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20th Century Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Cotton, Screen
2010s Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Wood, Mixed Media, Screen
2010s Feminist Barbara Kruger Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Giclée, Etching
2010s Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Other Medium
1980s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Offset
1980s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Offset
1990s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph, Offset
2010s Barbara Kruger Art
Screen
2010s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Ceramic, Screen
2010s Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Screen, Cotton
1980s Conceptual Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph
1980s Barbara Kruger Art
Screen, Lithograph
2010s Barbara Kruger Art
Fiberboard
2010s Barbara Kruger Art
Screen
1990s Barbara Kruger Art
C Print
2010s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Cotton, Screen, Mixed Media, Textile, Laid Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Screen, Paper, Glitter, Mixed Media
1990s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Ink, Lithograph, Offset
1970s Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Screen
20th Century Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Mixed Media, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Impressionist Barbara Kruger Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
20th Century Barbara Kruger Art
Screen, Mixed Media, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Impressionist Barbara Kruger Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph
1980s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Offset
20th Century Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph
1990s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph, Offset
1990s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph, Offset
1980s Conceptual Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph
Late 20th Century Conceptual Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph
1990s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph, Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Barbara Kruger Art
Cotton, Screen
20th Century Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph
1990s Pop Art Barbara Kruger Art
Lithograph, Offset