Explore: Conceptual Art

In the 1960s, artists began to create work that was critical of traditional art world structures. They questioned what the true nature of art was, and how artwork was expected to look. These artists did not want to rely solely on illusion, or the traditional techniques of painting or sculpture. They believed that the idea is the most important part of the artwork, more important than the finished piece itself.

Susquehanna Art Museum presents an investigation of contemporary conceptual art in the S. Wilson and Grace M. Pollock Education Center Gallery August 10 – November 4, 2018. Through the work of eight regional artists, we will explore the processes that artists use to illustrate the unique concepts on display.

When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.  – Sol LeWitt, Artforum, June 1967