Conceptual Art: Theory, Myth, and Practice

Conceptual art was a loose collection of related practices that emerged worldwide during the 1960s and 1970s. It continues to be relevant to contemporary art and remains a lively topic of debate. The most striking features of conceptual art are its de-emphasis on the importance of the art object and its understanding of the role of language in shaping our knowledge of the world and our conception of art. This collection of essays deals with the issues that animated Conceptual art in the anglophone world. It offers readers a wealth of research on the earliest international exhibitions of Conceptual art, interpretation of some of its most important practitioners, and a consideration of the relationship between conceptual art and the intellectual and social context of the 1960s and 1970s. Of special note are the contributions focusing on the explicitly social and political aspirations of this influential avant-garde artistic practice.