Lawrence Weiner

Lawrence Weiner was a self-taught conceptual artist born in New York, NY in 1942, where he worked and lived until his death. Widely considered one of the founding figures of Conceptual art, Weiner worked primarily with language from the late 1960s onwards. His work, typically set in a sans serif font, often refers to materials and constructions that enact a physical process. Although he did not consider his works site-specific, each piece forms a distinct relationship to its environment. Whether it is a public space, a gallery wall or a book, each context allows viewers to develop their own interpretations in reference to their personal experiences.

 

Solo exhibitions have been held at Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Holstebro, Denmark (2021), Museo Nivola, Orani, Italy (2019), Pérez Art Museum, Miami, FL, USA (2017);  Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA (2017); Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz, Austria (2016); Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, UK (2015); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2014); Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Spain (2013); Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (2007); A major retrospective survey was shown at the Whitney Museum, New York; MoCA, Los Angeles, and K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2007-2009).; Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City, Mexico (2004); Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany (2000); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA (1994); and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC, USA (1990). He participated in documenta 5, 6, 7, and 13 (1972, 1977, 1982, 2012); the 36th, 41st, 50th and 55th Venice Biennales, Italy (1972, 1984, 2003, 2013); and the 27th Biennale de Sao Paulo, Brazil (2006). 

 

Among many honours he was awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1976, 1983), a Guggenheim Fellowship (1994), the Wolfgang Hahn Prize, Museum Ludwig, Cologne (1995), a Skowhegan Medal for Painting/Conceptual Art (1999), an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Graduate Center, City University of New York (2013) and recently the Roswitha Haftmann Foundation Prize (2015), and the Wolf Prize and the Aspen Award for Art in 2017.