John Baldessari is a key influential figure from the generation of artists who emerged in the mid 60s. Through his early experiments with phototext canvases, his conceptually-rich video art work of the early 70s, and his distinctive photo collages and installations of the 80s, Baldessari helped define and shape the landscape of contemporary art.
Initially trained as a painter, Baldessari’s practice evolved through fusing the narrative potency of imagery with the conceptual charge of text and language. The combination of these elements served to rework the boundaries of art while creating a corpus of work that incisively interrogates the nature of communication.
Baldessari has been featured in over 200 solo exhibitions and in over 100 group exhibitions throughout North America and Europe. He has received prestigious accolades including the Americans for the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, awarded by La Biennale di Venezia in 2009. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Academy of Arts and Letters.
