Lawrence Weiner

Lawrence Weiner (1942-2021) was born in the Bronx, New York. He lived and worked in Amsterdam and New York City. One of the leading figures of the Conceptual art scene in the late 1960s, Weiner was among the first to propose a new relationship to art and to redefine the status of the artist. Weiner’s body of work has at its core a fundamental questioning of the conventions of objecthood in relation to the producer and its viewer. He used language as the primary medium for his works since the late 1960s. Presented in capital letters, his structures consisting of language, or text fragments, often accompanied by graphic marks and lines, have been exhibited around the world and interpreted into numerous languages. 

Each piece refers to Weiner’s generic description of their content: LANGUAGE + THE MATERIALS REFERRED TO. The work often describes material components, colors, spatio-temporal delineations and interactions, allowing viewers to develop their own personal interpretation and experiences. Although Weiner did not consider his works as site-specific, each piece builds a distinct relationship with each urban and cultural environment it is inserted in.

Recent solo exhibitions have taken place at the Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Denmark (2021); Fundación Casa Wabi, Oaxaca, Mexico (2020); Museo Nivola, Orani, Italy (2019); Milwaukee Art Museum (2017); Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria (2016); Blenheim Art Foundation, UK (2015); South London Gallery, UK (2014); Villa Panza, Italy, Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Spain (both 2013); and the Jewish Museum, New York (2012). A major retrospective survey was shown at the Whitney Museum, New York; MoCA, Los Angeles, and K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2007-2009).

Weiner was the recipient of numerous awards, most recently the Roswitha Haftmann Foundation Prize (2015), and the Wolf Prize and the Aspen Award for Art in 2017.