Conceptual Photography 1964–1989

Opening on May 9, 2007, Zwirner & Wirth will present an exhibition of American and European conceptual photography drawn from a private collection. Spanning the years 1964-1989, the collection, which has been amassed over the last three decades, includes key examples of photo-based conceptual art by artists such as Vito Acconci, Giovanni Anselmo, John Baldessari, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Mel Bochner, Hans Breder, Marcel Broodthaers, Peter Campus, Robert Cumming, Valie Export, Fischli & Weiss, Dan Graham, Birgit Jürgenssen, Barry Le Va, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mapplethorpe, Ana Mendieta, Bruce Nauman, Meret Oppenheim, Hélio Oiticica, Giulio Paolini, Giuseppe Penone, Sigmar Polke, Richard Prince, Charles Ray, Allen Ruppersberg, Lucas Samaras, Laurie Simmons, Andy Warhol, and others.

An open-ended term, "conceptual art" encompasses a broad range of practices that emphasize the role of ideas in the production of artistic meaning. Beginning roughly in the 1960s and 70s, artists would question the traditional visual or aesthetic definition of the work of art in favor of more idea-driven, critical work. Photography would become central in the development of conceptual practices, as it proved to be a medium that could be implemented by artists in various ways, and the exhibition at Zwirner & Wirth will reflect a broad range of influential, conceptual photo-based work.

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