John Baldessari, the Godfather of Conceptual Art, Dead at 88

Tuesday, January 7, 2020
John Baldessari, the Godfather of Conceptual Art, Dead at 88

Artist John Baldessari, whose irreverent, multimedia work and lengthy career as a teacher at CalArts and UCLA inspired an entire generation of artists, died Thursday at the age of 88 at his home in Venice, California. According to the New York Times, his studio manager and foundation chairwoman, Virginia Gatelein, confirmed his death on Sunday. At times a sculptor, a painter, photographer and videographer, Baldessari’s surrealist mixed-media body of work helped shape the modern Los Angeles art scene and, eventually, the world’s.

Image: Photo: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for LACMA

 

Artist John Baldessari, whose irreverent, multimedia work and lengthy career as a teacher at CalArts and UCLA inspired an entire generation of artists, died Thursday at the age of 88 at his home in Venice, California. According to the New York Times, his studio manager and foundation chairwoman, Virginia Gatelein, confirmed his death on Sunday. At times a sculptor, a painter, photographer and videographer, Baldessari’s surrealist mixed-media body of work helped shape the modern Los Angeles art scene and, eventually, the world’s.

 

Photo: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for LACMA

 

In 1970, he famously burned all of the art he made between 1953 and 1966 at a San Diego crematorium, subsequently baking it into cookies and enclosing them in an urn. In 1971, Baldessari declared, “I will not make any more boring art,” filming himself writing the phrase over and over until he ran out of tape. As the resulting decades suggest, he took the announcement to heart.

Source: vulture.com

Stephanie Cime

ArtDependence WhatsApp Group

Get the latest ArtDependence updates directly in WhatsApp by joining the ArtDependence WhatsApp Group by clicking the link or scanning the QR code below

whatsapp-qr

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Image of the Day

Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.

Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.

Search

About ArtDependence

ArtDependence Magazine is an international magazine covering all spheres of contemporary art, as well as modern and classical art.

ArtDependence features the latest art news, highlighting interviews with today’s most influential artists, galleries, curators, collectors, fair directors and individuals at the axis of the arts.

The magazine also covers series of articles and reviews on critical art events, new publications and other foremost happenings in the art world.

If you would like to submit events or editorial content to ArtDependence Magazine, please feel free to reach the magazine via the contact page.