原创艺术品，限量版和版画:
概念艺术，通常被称为概念主义，是一种艺术，其中潜在的想法或概念比最终产品更相关。概念艺术家在 60 年代中期和 70 年代中期创作了从根本上拒绝传统艺术概念的作品和著作。
为了传达他们的想法，概念艺术家选择了最适合他们的媒体和格式。这导致了各种各样的艺术作品，可能类似于任何东西，从表演到写作再到日常用品。艺术家们使用看不见的系统、结构和过程，以及语言、数学和面向过程的思维元素，来研究艺术作为概念和艺术作为知识的可能性。一些概念艺术作品，也称为装置，任何人都可以根据一组书面说明简单地创作。
艺术能力的问题是概念艺术和更“传统”类型的艺术创作之间的一个关键区别。尽管在传统媒体的使用方面的专业知识在概念艺术中往往起着很小的作用，但很难说概念作品总是缺乏天赋或创作它们不需要技巧。
概念艺术的起源
众所周知，马塞尔·杜尚 (Marcel Duchamp) 创立了观念艺术。尽管“概念艺术”一词直到 1960 年代才被创造出来，但这一运动的根源可能要追溯到 1917 年，当时马塞尔·杜尚 (Marcel Duchamp) 以著名的方式从一家管道商店购买了一个小便器，并将其作为雕塑参加了纽约的一个开放式雕塑展。陪审团取消了该作品的资格，因为他们认为它不道德并且不会接受它作为艺术。杜尚通过对艺术极限的探索和对艺术世界的批判，开创了观念艺术的道路。后来，美国艺术家约瑟夫·科苏斯 (Joseph Kosuth) 在其 1969 年的论文《哲学之后的艺术》(Art after Philosophy) 中承认杜尚对即将到来的“概念主义者”的相关性和理论意义，他在文中指出：“所有艺术（杜尚之后）都是概念性的（本质上），因为艺术只存在于概念上。 “
Fluxus 运动的成员从 1960 年代初就开始使用“概念艺术”一词。该运动的主要目标是摆脱现代主义的排他性，促进对艺术的开放态度。参与 Fluxus 运动的艺术家有兴趣将美学的参考点扩展到包括从物体到声音或动作的任何事物。激浪派无疑是概念艺术的影响之一，尽管它并不总是被认为是运动的一部分。这是与概念主义相当的重要趋势，其实践者通常被称为概念艺术家。
正如纽约著名艺术评论家克莱门特·格林伯格 (Clement Greenberg) 所描述的那样，部分作为对形式主义的回应，概念艺术在 1960 年代作为一场运动兴起。根据格林伯格的说法，现代艺术追求的目标是通过不断简化和完善的过程来建立每种媒体的基本、形式性质。必须尽量减少与这种性质相反的成分。例如，绘画的工作就是恰当地描述一幅画是一个什么样的对象，而不是别的：是什么让它成为一幅画，而不是别的。
其他人，包括许多艺术家自己，将概念艺术视为与格林伯格形式主义现代主义类型的根本突破。一些人认为，概念艺术通过完全消除事物的必要性来扩展艺术的这种“非物质化”。后来的艺术家同样厌恶幻觉，偏爱自我批评的艺术。
到 1960 年代末，很明显，格林伯格将艺术保持在每种媒介的参数范围内并排除无关主题的规则不再有效。为了破坏作为艺术设置和仲裁者的画廊或博物馆，以及作为艺术所有者和销售者的艺术市场，概念艺术也对艺术的商业化做出了回应。
基于语言的艺术
1960 年代和 70 年代初第一代概念艺术家最关心的是语言。尽管在艺术中使用文本并不是什么新鲜事，但直到 1960 年代，劳伦斯·韦纳 (Lawrence Weiner)、爱德华·鲁沙 (Edward Ruscha)、约瑟夫·科苏斯 (Joseph Kosuth)、罗伯特·巴里 (Robert Barry) 和艺术与语言 (Art & Language) 等艺术家才开始仅通过语言创作艺术。概念艺术家使用语言代替画笔和画布，并赋予其独立表达的自由，这与过去将语言描绘为一种视觉元素并从属于整体构图（例如合成立体主义）相反).
根据英国哲学家和观念艺术理论家彼得·奥斯本 (Peter Osborne) 的说法，20 世纪中叶英美分析哲学以及结构主义和后结构主义大陆哲学转向意义语言理论是影响引力的众多因素之一走向以语言为基础的艺术。这种语言上的转变“支持并合法化”了概念艺术家的路径选择。根据奥斯本的说法，早期的概念主义者是第一代完成基于学位的艺术学术培训的艺术家。在后来的一次公开演讲中，奥斯本表示当代艺术是后概念的。这是与艺术作品的本体论相关的主张（而不是在风格或运动的描述层面上）。
著名观念艺术家
约瑟夫博伊斯
德国艺术家约瑟夫·博伊斯（Joseph Beuys，1921 -1986）于 50 年代至 80 年代初期活跃于欧美，以其在当时国际概念艺术和激浪派运动中的作品而闻名。博伊斯广泛的作品既包括素描、绘画和雕塑等传统媒体，也包括以过程为导向或基于时间的“行动”艺术，其表现表明艺术在解决心理、社会问题时可能具有治疗效果，或政治问题（关于艺术家和观众）。
约瑟夫科苏斯
约瑟夫·科苏斯（Joseph Kosuth，生于 1945 年）是一位美国概念艺术家和理论家。在 1960 年代中期，约瑟夫·科苏斯 (Joseph Kosuth) 是概念艺术的创始人之一，概念艺术发展成为一场重要的运动，在 70 年代蓬勃发展，并在今天继续产生影响。他研究了思想与用于传达思想的图像和文字之间的关系，并且是使用文字代替任何类型的视觉图像的先驱。自 20 世纪 70 年代以来，他创作了各种特定地点的装置，这些装置继续研究人类如何体验、理解和对文字做出反应。
索尔·勒维特
Sol LeWitt (1928 - 2007) 是美国观念艺术家和画家。由于他在概念运动中的领导作用，他在艺术史上赢得了一席之地。他对艺术家创作过程的信念在从现代时期到后现代时期的转变中发挥了至关重要的作用。勒维特将概念艺术定义为一种知识分子、务实的行为，为艺术家的工作提供了一个全新的面貌，这与抽象表现主义的浪漫主义截然不同。勒维特的艺术作品包括雕塑、绘画和素描，此外还有几乎完全概念化的创作，这些创作仅仅是概念或创作过程的组成部分。
罗伯特史密森
受罗伯特·史密森 (Robert Smithson, 1938–1973) 影响的年轻艺术家可能比 1960 年代发展起来的该团体的任何其他成员都多。他是一位才华横溢的艺术家和作家，兴趣包括科幻小说、矿物学和天主教。他的早期作品包括拼贴画和绘画，但他很快将注意力转向雕塑，以回应 1960 年代初期的极简主义和概念主义。他还开始将他的艺术带到画廊之外，进入景观。
达明·赫斯特
达米恩·赫斯特（生于 1965 年）是一位英国艺术家，是 1990 年代的艺术偶像，也是 20 世纪后期最大的挑衅者之一，也是当代艺术史上具有争议性的人物。广告大亨查尔斯·萨奇 (Charles Saatchi) 发现了赫斯特腐烂的动物尸体的潜力，并给了他几乎无限的现金让他继续创作，帮助这位年轻的、基本不为人知的艺术家迅速崛起。
死亡主题主导了赫斯特的许多作品。他因一系列作品而出名，这些作品以甲醛中保存的、偶尔解剖的动物尸体为特色，包括鲨鱼、绵羊和牛。其中最著名的是一条 4.3 米长的浸泡在甲醛中的虎鲨，它被放在一个玻璃展柜中，展柜名为“活着的人的心灵中死亡的生理上的不可能”。
作为一位在世艺术家，赫斯特于 2008 年 9 月创造了历史，他绕过长期经营的画廊，在苏富比拍卖行拍卖了他的整个展览“永远美丽在我脑海中”。此次拍卖以 1.11 亿英镑（1.98 亿美元）的价格打破了单一艺术家拍卖的纪录。
沃尔特·德·玛丽亚
沃尔特·德·玛丽亚 (1935 - 2013) 是美国雕塑家和观念艺术家。 Walter de Maria 创作了交互式雕塑装置，并为大型雕塑作品提供了概念支持，将 1960 年代流行起来的几个艺术实践团体联系起来。在后来的作品中，他还通过将视觉方面融入环境本身或将自然元素融入画廊环境，在观众与自然世界之间建立联系。他最雄心勃勃的作品不仅在物理尺寸方面而且在展览持续时间方面都非常庞大，有的在室内和室外持续了数十年。
珍妮霍尔泽
珍妮·霍尔泽（Jenny Holzer，生于 1950 年）是一位美国新观念艺术家。她的作品主要侧重于在公共场合交流思想和文字，包括大型装置、广告牌、建筑物和其他结构的投影，以及照明电子显示屏。珍妮·霍尔泽 (Jenny Holzer) 基于文本的艺术作品可以在意想不到的地方找到：T 恤、广告牌、停车计时器和 LED 标志（霍尔泽的商标媒介）。
艺术家和政治活动家霍尔泽希望阻止人们被动地消费来自不利来源的信息。她的艺术野心和规模已经在全球大部分公共场所展出，随着她的声誉而扩大。从现代主义（本质上是与传统的斗争）开始到 21 世纪，霍尔以她对权力的强烈愤世嫉俗加入了艺术反权威主义者的行列。
劳伦斯韦纳
劳伦斯·韦纳（Lawrence Weiner，1942-2001）是美国观念艺术家，也是观念主义时代文本艺术的先驱之一。他对文字的运用以其诗意、与现实世界的奇妙接触以及独特的、经常充满活力且时常幽默的视觉形式而著称。工人阶级艺术家韦纳认为他的画是邀请观众重新评估他们与周围世界的关系，特别是与其他人和权力体系的关系。
观念艺术家名言
索尔·勒维特
“在概念艺术中，想法或概念是作品最重要的方面。当艺术家使用观念形式的艺术时，意味着所有的计划和决定都是事先做出的，执行是敷衍了事。这个想法变成了创造艺术的机器。”
“新材料是当代艺术的一大痛点。一些艺术家混淆了新材料和新想法。”
“艺术家教批评家怎么想。评论家重复艺术家教给他们的东西。”
“在概念艺术中，想法或概念是作品最重要的方面”
约瑟夫科苏斯
“任何东西都可以是艺术。艺术是关系之间的关系，而不是对象之间的关系。”
“所有艺术（在杜尚之后）都是概念性的（本质上），因为艺术只存在于概念上。”
达明·赫斯特
“要成为一名艺术家，你需要一个很大的自我。”
“博物馆是为已故艺术家准备的。我永远不会在泰特展出我的作品。你永远不会让我在那个地方。
沃尔特·德·玛丽亚
“我认为要成为一个真正的极简主义者，你自己几乎应该是隐形的。”
“每一件好作品都应该至少有十种含义。”
珍妮霍尔泽
“缺乏魅力可能是致命的。”
“开心比什么都重要。”
“所有事物都微妙地相互关联。”
“你是你所遵守的规则的受害者。”
劳伦斯韦纳
“我唯一感兴趣的艺术是我不能马上理解的艺术。如果你马上就明白了，除了怀旧之外，它真的没有任何用处。”
哪里可以买到瑞士艺术家的艺术品？
Artmajeur 展示了精选的最佳 当代瑞士艺术家：瑞士画家, 瑞士雕塑家, 瑞士摄影师，您可以在画廊中找到新兴和已确认的艺术家。
虽然 瑞士 的画家、雕塑家和摄影师是最受欢迎的技术，但我们也有出售其他技术的优秀当代作品，如拼贴画、数字艺术或纺织艺术。 Artmajeur 画廊在 瑞士 非常受欢迎，因为许多当代艺术家用它来出售他们的艺术品：希望购买 瑞士艺术家 艺术品的收藏家可以找到各种各样的技术、颜色、风格和价格。
从日内瓦到苏黎世，经过伯尔尼和洛桑，瑞士一直是令人印象深刻的艺术温床。雕塑家、画家、摄影师……许多瑞士艺术家凭借其非凡的艺术造诣，跨越了艺术史。由于来自达沃斯的艺术家 Sophie Taeuber-Arp 的木雕作品，和平主义瑞士甚至是达达主义潮流的摇篮。来自瑞士不同州的其他艺术家在世界艺术舞台上占有一席之地。弗里堡市民让·廷格利、阿尔贝托·贾科梅蒂、费利克斯·瓦洛顿甚至汉斯·厄尼的情况尤其如此。瑞士也参与了由让·杜布菲 (Jean Dubuffet) 提出的原始艺术 (Art Brut) 的起源，他在那里在洛桑创建了专门的博物馆。 Aloïse Corbaz 或 Adolf Wölfli 等瑞士艺术家的众多作品构成了这个令人惊叹的机构的核心。
Discover contemporary artworks on Artmajeur
Contemporary art is a vibrant constellation of artistic expressions. This creative universe encompasses a wide array of mediums, from paintings, sculpture, and photography to drawing, printmaking, textile art, and digital art, each medium a star shining with its own distinct radiance. Artists use diverse supports and materials to bring their visions to life, such as canvas, wood, metal, and even innovative digital canvases for the creation of virtual masterpieces.
A contemporary painting, for instance, may weave its story through the masterful strokes of acrylic or oil, while a contemporary sculpture might sing its song in the language of stone, bronze, or found objects. The photographic arts capture and manipulate light to produce striking images, while printmaking employs techniques like lithography and screen-printing to produce multiples of a single, impactful image. Textile art plays with fabrics and fibers, whereas digital art pushes the boundaries of creation with innovative technology.
The allure of contemporary art lies in its boundary-pushing nature, its relentless quest for experimentation and its constant reflection of the evolving human experience. This boundless creativity, coupled with its strong social and personal commentary, makes every piece of contemporary art a unique emblem of its time, a mirror held up to the realities and dreams of our complex world. It whispers to us, moves us, provokes thought, and kindles a deep emotional response, stirring the soul of anyone willing to listen. It is, indeed, the language of emotions and ideas, spoken in the dialect of our era.
Origins and history of contemporary art
The story of contemporary art unfolds in the mid-20th century, marked by seismic shifts in artistic expression. Post-World War II, around the 1950s and 1960s, artists began experimenting beyond traditional confines, challenging the norms of what art could be. This revolutionary epoch birthed myriad new movements and artistic forms such as abstract expressionism, pop art, and minimalism. Paintings, once confined by realism, embraced abstraction, as artists used color and form to express emotions and ideas. Notable periods like the advent of pop art in the late 1950s and early 1960s saw artworks mimicking popular culture and mass media, reflecting society’s shifting focus.
The sculptural arts, too, witnessed a metamorphosis. Sculptors started to experiment with new materials and forms, often creating artworks that interacted with the viewer and the surrounding space, fostering a sense of engagement. Drawing, a timeless practice, also evolved, with artists incorporating innovative techniques and concepts to redefine its role in contemporary art.
Photography, a relatively new medium, emerged as a powerful tool in the contemporary art landscape. Born in the 19th century, it truly came into its own in the latter half of the 20th century, blurring the lines between fine art and documentation. Printmaking, a practice dating back to ancient times, saw renewed interest and experimentation with techniques like lithography, etching, and screen printing gaining prominence.
The realm of textile art expanded dramatically, as artists began to appreciate the versatility and tactile quality of fabric and fibers. Artists began using textiles to challenge the boundaries between fine art, craft, and design.
The dawn of digital technology in the late 20th century heralded a new age for contemporary art. Digital art emerged as artists started leveraging new technologies to create immersive, interactive experiences, often blurring the line between the virtual and the physical world.
Through these transformative periods, the essence of contemporary art has remained the same: a dynamic, evolving reflection of the times we live in, continually pushing boundaries and embracing the new, always questioning, always exploring.
Evolutions of theses contemporary works in the art market
As we navigate through the 21st century, the dynamic landscape of contemporary art continues to evolve and expand, reflecting our ever-changing world. Contemporary paintings, once primarily confined to two-dimensional canvases, now embrace a multitude of forms and techniques, ranging from mixed media installations to digital creations, each piece a rich a weaving of thoughts, emotions, and narratives. Sculpture, too, has ventured far beyond traditional stone and bronze, with artists incorporating light, sound, and even motion, embodying the ephemerality and flux of the modern world.
Photography, in the hands of contemporary artists, has expanded its horizons, seamlessly blending with digital technology to create breathtaking imagery that challenges our perception of reality. Drawing, as well, has transcended the borders of paper, incorporating multimedia elements and exploratory techniques to redefine its role in the artistic discourse. Printmaking continues to flourish, with contemporary artists using traditional methods in innovative ways to deliver potent social and personal commentaries.
Textile art, once considered a craft, now holds a prominent place in the contemporary art world, with artists using it to explore issues of identity, tradition, and cultural heritage. Meanwhile, digital art, the newest member of the contemporary art family, has revolutionized the way we create and interact with art, presenting immersive experiences that blur the boundary between the virtual and the physical.
These diverse forms of contemporary art hold significant value in the current art market, not only due to their aesthetic appeal but also their ability to encapsulate and communicate complex ideas and emotions. Collectors, curators, and art lovers worldwide seek these works, drawn to their inherent dynamism, their innovative use of materials, and their eloquent expressions of our shared human experience. As a testimonial to our times, these contemporary artworks encapsulate the pulse of our society and the resonance of individual voices, forever etching our collective narrative into the annals of art history.
Famous Contemporary Artists
As we delve into the vibrant realm of contemporary art, we encounter an array of artists who shape this dynamic field. Each a master in their medium - painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, printmaking, textile, or digital art - they push artistic boundaries, reflecting our era and challenging perceptions. Let’s explore these remarkable contributors and their groundbreaking works.
1. Gerhard Richter - Known for his multi-faceted approach to painting, Richter challenges the boundaries of the medium, masterfully oscillating between abstract and photorealistic styles. His works, whether featuring squeegee-pulled pigments or blurred photographic images, engage in a fascinating dialogue with perception.
2. Jeff Koons - A significant figure in contemporary sculpture, Koons crafts monumental pieces that explore themes of consumerism, taste, and popular culture. His iconic balloon animals, constructed in mirror-polished stainless steel, captivate with their playful yet profound commentary.
3. Cindy Sherman - An acclaimed photographer, Sherman uses her lens to explore identity and societal roles, particularly of women. Renowned for her conceptual self-portraits, she assumes myriad characters, pushing the boundaries of photography as a medium of artistic expression.
4. David Hockney - Hockney, with his prolific output spanning six decades, is a pivotal figure in contemporary drawing. His bold use of color and playful exploration of perspective convey an intoxicating sense of joy and an unabashed celebration of life.
5. Kiki Smith - An innovative printmaker, Smith’s work explores the human condition, particularly the female body and its social and cultural connotations. Her etchings and lithographs speak to universal experiences of life, death, and transformation.
6. El Anatsui - A master of textile art, Anatsui creates stunning tapestry-like installations from discarded bottle caps and aluminum scraps. These shimmering, flexible sculptures blend traditional African aesthetic with contemporary art sensibilities, speaking to themes of consumption, waste, and the interconnectedness of our world.
7. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer - A leading figure in digital art, Lozano-Hemmer utilizes technology to create interactive installations that blend architecture and performance art. His work, often participatory in nature, explores themes of surveillance, privacy, and the relationship between people and their environments.
Notable contemporary artworks
The contemporary art landscape is a dynamic patchwork of diverse expressions and groundbreaking ideas, each artwork a unique dialog with its audience. Here are a selection of some renowned contemporary artworks, spanning various media such as painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, printmaking, textile art, and digital art, that have profoundly influenced this vibrant movement.
"Cloud Gate" by Anish Kapoor, 2006 - This monumental stainless steel sculpture, also known as "The Bean," mirrors and distorts the Chicago skyline and onlookers in its seamless, liquid-like surface, creating an interactive experience that blurs the line between the artwork and the viewer.
"Marilyn Diptych" by Andy Warhol, 1962 - An iconic piece of pop art, this silkscreen painting features fifty images of Marilyn Monroe. Half brightly colored, half in black and white, it reflects the dichotomy of celebrity life and its influence on popular culture.
"Rhein II" by Andreas Gursky, 1999 - This photographic artwork, a digitally-altered image of the Rhine River, is celebrated for its minimalist aesthetic. It strips the landscape to its bare essentials, invoking a sense of tranquility and vastness.
"Black Square" by Kazimir Malevich, 1915 - A revolutionary painting in the realm of abstract art, this piece, featuring nothing more than a black square on a white field, challenges traditional notions of representation, symbolizing a new era in artistic expression.
"Puppy" by Jeff Koons, 1992 - This giant sculpture, a West Highland Terrier blanketed in flowering plants, explores themes of innocence, consumer culture, and the interplay between high art and kitsch. It’s a delightful blend of traditional sculpture and garden craft.
"Re-projection: Hoerengracht" by Ed and Nancy Kienholz, 1983-1988 - A room-sized tableau representing Amsterdam’s red-light district, this work combines elements of sculpture, painting, lighting, and found objects. It engages viewers in a stark commentary on commodification and objectification.
"Untitled" (Your body is a battleground) by Barbara Kruger, 1989 - This photomontage, combining black-and-white photography with impactful text, explores issues of feminism, identity, and power. Its potent, confrontational message is a prime example of the power of text in contemporary visual art.
"For the Love of God" by Damien Hirst, 2007 - This sculpture, a platinum cast of a human skull encrusted with 8,601 diamonds, probes themes of mortality, value, and the human fascination with luxury and decadence. It’s a compelling blend of macabre and magnificence.
"Physical impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" by Damien Hirst, 1991 - This artwork, featuring a tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde, blurs the line between traditional sculpture and biological specimen. It prompts viewers to contemplate mortality and nature’s ferocity.
"One and Three Chairs" by Joseph Kosuth, 1965 - A piece of conceptual art, it presents a physical chair, a photograph of a chair, and a dictionary definition of a chair, thus exploring the relationship between language, picture, and referent in art.
These pieces, in their diversity, exemplify the rich tapestry of contemporary art, each piece a unique commentary on our world and a testament to the limitless potential of creative expression.