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

Derived 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

She grew up in San Francisco, where she attended the San Francisco Art Institute and got a degree in conceptual art.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2024

Visitors to the two main venues, the Giardini and the Arsenale, will be greeted by a neon sign by the conceptual art cooperative Claire Fontaine with the exhibition’s title: “Stranieri Ovunque — Foreigners Everywhere.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2024

In the mid-1960s, when conceptual art, Pop Art and minimalist sculpture were in the ascendancy and painting was declared dead by many critics and artists, Mr. Marden issued a powerful counterstatement.

From New York Times • Aug. 10, 2023