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Lawrence Weiner, American conceptual artist, dies at 79

2021-12-02T19:49:00-05:00

Declaration of Intent: The artist may construct the piece. The piece may be fabricated. The piece need not be built. Each being equal and consistent with the intent of the artist, the decision as to condition rests with the receiver upon the occasion of receivership.

"Lawrence Weiner, a towering figure in the Conceptual art movement arising in the 1960s and who profoundly altered the landscape of American art, died December 2 at the age of seventy-nine. Known for his text-based installations incorporating evocative or descriptive phrases and sentence fragments, typically presented in bold capital letters accompanied by graphic accents and occupying unusual sites and surfaces, Weiner rose to prominence among a cohort that included Robert Barry, Douglas Huebler, Joseph Kosuth, and Sol LeWitt. A firm believer that an idea alone could constitute an artwork, he established a practice that stood out for its consistent embodiment of his famous 1968 “Declaration of Intent.”

Lawrence Wiener is also known to the architecture world for his townhouse in New York designed by LO-TEK.

"Things should be for their own time" says American conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner

2018-05-02T12:55:00-04:00

American conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner is known for his language-based sculpture and work exploring the relationship between art, artist, and viewer. Born in the Bronx in 1942, he is considered one of the foremost conceptual artists of the 60s.

Rose F. Kennedy Greenway Mural, Boston 2015. Photo by Geoff Hargadon.

Kunsthaus Bregenz. Photo by Udo Mittelberger.

Recognized by its striking typography outlined in black, Weiner's work applied art-as-language to the built environment, from walls to the ground underfoot. In this new short film from the Time-Space-Existence series, Weiner discusses making art accessible to the public, the relationship between people and material objects, and language as a gesture. Beyond, Weiner goes on to talk about why he doesn’t believe in art transcending time, and why creative work should spill beyond the confines of the gallery space.

Produced by PLANE—SITE, the video has been commissioned by the GAA Foundation and funded by the ECC in the run-up to...

Lawrence Weiner on art, teaching and inside his LOT-EK place.

2011-07-18T22:12:12-04:00

There’s nothing sillier than an M.F.A. What does it mean? Did you learn anything? No. To be a master you have to learn languages and you have to have these things. Nobody gets them. I don’t think the art form is so complicated that you need a college course in order to read it.

Paris Review's Thessaly La Force visits and talks to one of art world's giants Lawrence Weiner in his LOT-EK designed and installed live-work studio in New York. They talk about the neighborhood, art, and why he doesn't eat lunch but loves the cocktail parties.