Joseph Kosuth

(American, born 1945)

Joseph Kosuth is an American Conceptual artist known for his ongoing investigation into language and its utility within art. Through his text-based works and installations, Kosuth examines semiotic expression, as seen in his seminal work One and Three Chairs (1965), which consists of a wooden chair, a photograph of the same chair, and the dictionary definition of a chair. Like the work of John Baldessari and Daniel Buren, Kosuth takes art from the physical world into the realm of ideas. “When objects are presented within the context of art (and until recently objects always have been used) they are as eligible for aesthetic consideration as are any objects in the world,” he once mused. “An aesthetic consideration of an object existing in the realm of art means that the object's existence or functioning in an art context is irrelevant to the aesthetic judgment.” Born on January 31, 1945 in Toledo, OH, Kosuth studied at the Toledo Museum School of Design, the Cleveland Art Institute, and the School of Visual Arts throughout the late 1950s into the 1960s. After his first solo exhibition at the Leo Castelli Gallery and an appointment as the American editor for Art and Language journal in 1969, the artist began an anthropological and philosophical inquiry at the New School for Social Research that would carry over into his artistic practice. He currently lives and works between New York, NY and Rome, Italy. Kosuth’s works are included in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Tate Gallery in London, and the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art in Budapest, among others.

Joseph Kosuth Artworks

Joseph Kosuth (628 results)
Ex libris - 401, 1989–1989

Joseph Kosuth

Ex libris - 401, 1989–1989

Sale Date: January 27, 2004

Auction Closed

Art as idea as idea - Object..., 1967–1967

Joseph Kosuth

Art as idea as idea - Object..., 1967–1967

Sale Date: January 25, 2004

Auction Closed

Codice A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J, 1980–1980

Joseph Kosuth

Codice A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J, 1980–1980

Sale Date: January 25, 2004

Auction Closed

Fétishism, 1987–1987

Joseph Kosuth

Fétishism, 1987–1987

Sale Date: December 19, 2003

Auction Closed

Codice A;B;C;D;E;F;G;H;I;J, 1980–1980

Joseph Kosuth

Codice A;B;C;D;E;F;G;H;I;J, 1980–1980

Sale Date: December 10, 2003

Auction Closed

I return now to our topic, 1988–1988

Joseph Kosuth

I return now to our topic, 1988–1988

Sale Date: November 26, 2003

Auction Closed

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Joseph Kosuth

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Sale Date: November 13, 2003

Auction Closed

Wittgenstein's color, 1989–1989

Joseph Kosuth

Wittgenstein's color, 1989–1989

Sale Date: July 3, 2003

Auction Closed

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Joseph Kosuth

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Sale Date: July 2, 2003

Auction Closed

C.S. (The difficulty in understanding..., 1988–1988

Joseph Kosuth

C.S. (The difficulty in understanding..., 1988–1988

Sale Date: June 27, 2003

Auction Closed

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Joseph Kosuth

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Sale Date: June 26, 2003

Auction Closed

Three portraits of S.F., part B, 1987–1987

Joseph Kosuth

Three portraits of S.F., part B, 1987–1987

Sale Date: May 31, 2003

Auction Closed

Three portraits of S.F., part A, 1987–1987

Joseph Kosuth

Three portraits of S.F., part A, 1987–1987

Sale Date: May 31, 2003

Auction Closed

Translate, 1969–1970

Joseph Kosuth

Translate, 1969–1970

Sale Date: May 27, 2003

Auction Closed

Material, 1969–1970

Joseph Kosuth

Material, 1969–1970

Sale Date: May 27, 2003

Auction Closed

Water, 1969–1970

Joseph Kosuth

Water, 1969–1970

Sale Date: May 27, 2003

Auction Closed

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Joseph Kosuth

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Sale Date: February 7, 2003

Auction Closed

Untitled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Joseph Kosuth

Untitled (Art as idea as idea), 1967–1967

Sale Date: October 23, 2002

Auction Closed

One and three plants, 1965–1965

Joseph Kosuth

One and three plants, 1965–1965

Sale Date: September 28, 2002

Auction Closed

Titled quotation - For L.C., 1997–1997

Joseph Kosuth

Titled quotation - For L.C., 1997–1997

Sale Date: September 25, 2002

Auction Closed

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1966–1966

Joseph Kosuth

Titled (Art as idea as idea), 1966–1966

Sale Date: June 28, 2002

Auction Closed

Codice A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J, 1980–1980

Joseph Kosuth

Codice A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J, 1980–1980

Sale Date: June 20, 2002

Auction Closed

The square roof of minus one, 1989–1989

Joseph Kosuth

The square roof of minus one, 1989–1989

Sale Date: June 20, 2002

Auction Closed

Word, sentence, paragraph, 1985–1985

Joseph Kosuth

Word, sentence, paragraph, 1985–1985

Sale Date: June 20, 2002

Auction Closed