In 1967, artist Sol LeWitt wrote that in “Conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work.” He was giving a name to an art movement that had emerged in the 1960s in which artists were less focused on their medium being something traditionally “artistic” and instead engaged in using any object, movement, form, action or place to express an idea.
LeWitt’s work was featured alongside an assemblage of notes, drawings and outlines by other artists in “Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art,” a groundbreaking show at New York City’s School of Visual Arts curated by Mel Bochner, another leading exponent of Conceptualism. Building on radical 20th-century statements, like Fountain (1917) by French artist Marcel Duchamp, Conceptual artists around Europe and North and South America were not interested in the commercial art scene and rather directly challenged its systems and values.
Stretching into the 1970s, this movement has also been called Post-Object art and Dematerialized art. Conceptual art reflected a larger era of social and political upheaval. Pieces associated with the style range from Roelof Louw’s Soul City (Pyramid of Oranges) (1967) — a work of installation art that sees fresh oranges stacked into a pyramid from which visitors are allowed to take one orange away — to On Kawara’s “Today” series, which saw the Japanese artist carefully painting a date in white acrylic on canvases consisting of a single color from 1966 to his death in 2014. Artists such as Ed Ruscha, who created the Twentysix Gasoline Stations book — a collection of photos of gas stations that is widely said to be the first modern artists’ book — made photography a major platform for Conceptual art, as did Bruce Nauman, who burned one of Ruscha's books and then photographed it for his own.
Conceptual art’s legacy of questioning artistic authorship, ownership and how to work with complex ideas of space and time had a significant influence on the decades of culture that followed, and it continues to inform art today.
The collection of Conceptual photography, paintings and sculptures on 1stDibs includes artworks by John Baldessari, Jenny Holzer, Lawrence Weiner, Joseph Kosuth and others.
Voodoo Altar: Feast for the Loa, Conceptual Oil on Masonite, 1960s
By Adam Leontus
Located in Miami, FL
Voodoo Altar: Feast for the Loa This work represents a convergence of religion, craft, and design, as well as the need for individual artistic expression. It is a visual feast as muc...
Oil, Masonite
Mil Lubroth Mixed Media Oil Painting Contemporary Female Abstract Expressionist
By Mil Lubroth
Located in Surfside, FL
Mil Lubroth lived in New York, France, Oil on board Abstract expressionist Tree's in greens and purples Provenance: Gallery Bique, Madrid. bears label verso Dimensions: Frame Siz...
Mixed Media, Oil
Sound in Grey
Located in Los Angeles, CA
"Sound in Grey" Graffiti & Line series 2017 acrylic on canvas 60X44" Signed, dated and titled on the reverse side. Robert Petrick's paintings create a link between the street cul...
Acrylic
Still life. Oil on canvas, 60x80 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Still life Oil on canvas, 60x80 cm Victor Karnaukh (1950, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR – 2012, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine) – a painter, a monument designer, graduate of...
Canvas, Oil
Oddity
Located in New York, NY
Figurative piece with a fun, simple narrative. The beauty of the piece lies in its simplicity. On 3/4 canvas.
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Mixed Media
The Last Narcissus
By Stephen Hall
Located in New York, NY
Conceptual. Acrylic on canvas. About the Artist: Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Stephen Hall moved to New York in 1978 and began exhibiting his work in the East Village in the earl...
Canvas, Acrylic
Chair
Located in New York, NY
Figurative piece with a fun, simple narrative. The beauty of the piece lies in its simplicity. On 3/4 canvas.
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
$4,500
Commuter
By Jim Molloy
Located in New York, NY
Oil painting. The implied narrative adds to the piece. A glimpse into a child's world, one we all have experienced. Tone is engaging, fun with universal appeal. About the art...
Oil, Canvas
$5,000
Pieces
By Jim Molloy
Located in New York, NY
Oil painting. The implied narrative adds to the piece. A glimpse into a child's world, one we all have experienced. Tone is engaging, fun with universal appeal. About the art...
Canvas, Oil
The Walking Spaceman
Located in New York, NY
Homage to the Toys of the past. Oil on canvas. Vibrant colors. Evokes great memories. About The Artist: D’Avino cultivated his life-long interest in Art at the State Univers...
Canvas, Oil
Price Upon Request
Conceptual Abstract
By Craig Alan
Located in New York, NY
Mixed Media Original with resin finish from world renowned artist with unique, one of a kind style. About the Artist: In his prolific career is a culmination of textbook artistic...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
Spectrum
By Craig Alan
Located in New York, NY
Mixed Media Original with resin finish from world renowned artist with unique, one of a kind style. About the Artist: In his prolific career is a culmination of textbook artistic...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$985
H 50 in W 32 in D 3 in
Large Scale Mid 20th Century Acrylic Painting by Vanguard Studios by Van Gaard
Located in San Francisco, CA
Large Scale Mid 20th Century Acrylic Painting by Vanguard Studios Signed Van Gaard Classic 1950s to 1960s acrylic painting of a guitar against a colorful ab...
Masonite, Acrylic
$3,295
H 35.44 in W 35.44 in D 0.79 in
Large contemporary expressionist figurative still life painting "Floral pause"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Floral Pause" is a contemporary still life painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot, celebrated for her colorful floral art and expressive compositions that capture the simple poe...
Canvas, Acrylic, Linen
$550
H 24.02 in W 24.02 in D 0.79 in
Only One Earth: Abstract Bold Invest Statement Protest Contemporary Color
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Only One Earth Abstract Bold Invest Statement Protest Contemporary Colorful ONLY ONE EARTH... Mars has no Dancing Trees or Roaming Wildlife, no Wonderous Oceans! With acr...
Oil, Acrylic, Gesso, Wood, Stretcher Bars
$446
H 16.54 in W 11.7 in D 0.04 in
"Silent strength" Contemporary figurative woman's portrait painting on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Silent Strength" – Original Contemporary Female Portrait Painting, Acrylic and Oil Pastel on Paper, 29.7 x 42 cm (11.7 x 16.5 inches) Acrylic paints and Sennelier oil pastels on hea...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic
$2,625
H 32 in W 24 in
AWH 167 - Original Figurative Abstract Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bernhard Zimmer has created a positive stir at major international art fairs (Art Basel, Kunst Köln, etc.). His lively and mysterious compositions pique the taste of the serious art ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
$1,300
H 14 in W 14 in D 2 in
"Last Light" (2025) Abstract Figurative Oil and Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
By John McCaw
Located in Denver, CO
John McCaw's (US based) "Last Light" is framed at 16.25 x 16.25 inches, and is wired and ready to hang. John McCaw (b. 1967), the eldest son of American expressionist Dan McCaw and ...
Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media
$1,500
H 39.77 in W 29.93 in D 0.79 in
Flourish Now! Large Abstract Floral Painting, Acrylic Oil Pastel, 101x76 cm
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Flourish Now! Painting Floral Abstract Bold Freedom Contrast Statement Maximalism In this painting, I expressed the feeling of aliveness into vibrant pink blossoms bursting...
Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
$255
H 10 in W 14 in
Still Life 7 - Original Bold Abstract Colorful Home Inspired Art on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Valerie Etitinwo's unique approach to abstract figurative painting celebrates the unconventional beauty found in imperfection and awkwardness. The Nigerian-Swiss artist uses bold col...
Canvas, Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil
$1,420
H 14.57 in W 14.57 in D 1.19 in
Plant and Triangle Geometric Figurative Interior Painting Acrylic on Canvas
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Plant and Triangle by Héctor Francesch is an acrylic on canvas painting created in 2026. Measuring 50 x 40 cm, this geometric symbolic still life transforms domestic objects and arch...
Acrylic, Canvas
$255
H 14 in W 10 in
Still Life 5 - Original Bold Abstract Color Drenched Oil Pastel Artwork on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Valerie Etitinwo's unique approach to abstract figurative painting celebrates the unconventional beauty found in imperfection and awkwardness. The Nigerian-Swiss artist uses bold col...
Canvas, Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil
Evening Melody
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
This large-scale painting captures the atmosphere of a warm evening where music becomes the center of human presence and shared emotion. Three musicians emerge within a vivid composi...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,250
H 24 in W 24 in D 1 in
"Always On Time" Figurative Painting 24" x 24" inch by Ahmed Dafrawy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Always On Time" Figurative Painting 24" x 24" inch by Ahmed Dafrawy Dafrawy’s fine arts academic background started in 2014 when he received the certificate of drawing course comp...
Acrylic, Canvas
Sold
H 24.81 in W 16.93 in D 1.58 in
Whizzer & Chip by Roo Waterhouse, Still life, Contemporary art, Original art
Located in Deddington, GB
Whizzer & Chips by Roo Waterhouse [2020] original and hand signed by artist oil paint on canvas Image size: H:61cm cm x W:41cm cm Complete Size of Unfr...
Canvas, Oil
"Withdrawl" (Three Broken Eggs)
Located in Soquel, CA
Three blue eggs, cracked on a blue surface by Jill G. Wheeler (American, 1949-2019). Three yolks sit in a puddle of the eggwhites, with the broken shells nearby. The title "Withdrawl...
Canvas, Oil
Lost Love
Located in Dallas, TX
Title: Lost Love 2019 3 Dimensional painting 33 x 33 cm Acrylic on hand cut wood
Acrylic, Board
Skull
By Georgie Briand
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Dark Deep depiction of a skull that was done with Acrylic. I am a self-taught artist from Washington DC that now lives in Los Angeles.
Canvas, Acrylic
Darklight / oil on canvas - abstract nature leaves
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Darklight' from Stephanie Peek, who makes her home in California, is beautifully rendered with a sense of depth, intellect, timelessness, and mystery. A dark and elegant floral wonder, reflecting the anxiety of abundance. Peek has floated tulips, roses and other flowers from 17th century still life paintings through the dark smoky atmosphere of her paintings of night...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Particles and Pixels
Located in New Orleans, LA
BONNIE MAYGARDEN is a multimedia artist who received her MFA in Studio Arts from Tulane University. The destruction of Hurricane Katrina caused her to take leave of New Orleans to fu...
Acrylic