conceptual art

American  

noun

1. art in which emphasis is placed on the means and processes of producing art objects rather than on the objects themselves and in which the various tools and techniques, as photographs, photocopies, video records, and the construction of environments and earthworks, are used to convey the message to the spectator.

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conceptual art British  

noun

1. art in which the idea behind a particular work, and the means of producing it, are more important than the finished work

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Other Word Forms

• conceptual artist
  noun

Example Sentences

Thumbing its nose at the blockchain while offering a technodystopic vision of the Freudian death drive, it’s conceptual art with a serious message that refuses to take itself too seriously.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

A car park is in the conceptual art of the park.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2025

After shifting to a more conceptual art practice, Kearney has thought carefully about how much information to reveal in an image and how much to conceal.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2023

An evolving visual journal of the conceptual art project.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2023

A product of Britain’s Royal Academy of Art, Mr. Stobart moved to the United States in 1970, when conceptual art, Op Art and minimalism were riding high in the wake of Abstract Expressionism.

From New York Times • May 1, 2023