Artists

Conceptual Artist Jenny Holzer was born in Ohio in 1950. She specialised in painting and engraving at Ohio University in 1972, then moved to New York in 1977 where she currently lives and works.

 

In the 1970s, she created her first conceptual works based on writing, namely the “Truisms” (literally “obvious truths”); they are identified as provocative phrases with a strong impact or short slogans written in black block letters. They can be found on white flyers posted outside Manhattan buildings or on everyday objects (such as T-shirts and posters). They deal with themes such as religion, pain, politics, death, and violence. Being written messages, they strongly capture the attention of the viewer and instill the need to question themselves. Because of these pieces, this artist has become so well known and today she is recognised as one of the pioneers of American Contemporary Art, alongside Barbara Kruger and Cindy Sherman. In 1979 she joined COLAB (a feminist movement founded with the aim of urbanising art outside of fairs, museums, galleries and magazines. This Organisation, which also includes Kiki Smith and Basquiat prefers to discuss sensitive issues, primarily, violence against women). In the 1980s she designed her first “LEDs” which she placed in the centre of New York City, specifically in Times Square, a place of greater social concentration. They are aphorisms that invite passers-by to believe in themselves and to face the darkest moments of life with awareness. Also worth mentioning is the “Living” series, composed of short texts written on bronze plaques, a material chosen with the aim of giving greater prestige to her works.

 

Jenny Holzer’s works are exhibited in the most important museums in the world including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York; the Centre Pompidou in Paris; the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Oslo Museum of Contemporary Art and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. In 1990, this Artist was recognised as the first living American woman to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale.