Joseph KosuthAmerican, 1945One and Three Chairs
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
New York, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
One and Three Chairs, is a conceptual work by Joseph Kosuth, from 1965. An example of conceptual art, the piece consists of a chair, a photograph of the chair, and an enlarged dictionary definition of the word "chair". The photograph depicts the chair as it is actually installed in the room, and thus the work changes each time it is installed in a new venue.
Read on
Two elements of the work remain constant: a copy of a dictionary definition of the word "chair" and a diagram with instructions for installation. Both bear Kosuth's signature. Under the instructions, the installer is to choose a chair, place it before a wall, and take a photograph of the chair. This photo is to be enlarged to the size of the actual chair and placed on the wall to the left of the chair. Finally, a blow-up of the copy of the dictionary definition is to be hung to the right of the chair, its upper edge aligned with that of the photograph.
Particulars
- Accession number
- 393.1970.a-c
In the catalog
Sources
- The Museum of Modern Art
- Image: The Museum of Modern Art — © the artist or rights holder
Meanwhile, in the life of Joseph Kosuth
The whole life1963
Cleveland Institute of Art
In 1963 he enrolls at the Cleveland Institute of Art on a scholarship.
1964
A year in Paris and travels through Europe
He spends the following year in Paris and travels throughout Europe and North Africa.
1965
Move to New York
In 1965 he moves to New York and enters the School of Visual Arts, where he studies until 1967.
1967
From student to teacher
Silas Rhodes, the founder and president of the School of Visual Arts, moves Kosuth from the student body onto the faculty; the appointment nearly causes a revolt among instructors, many of whom were irritated by his questioning of basic assumptions. He teaches at the school until 1985.
1967
Founds the Museum of Normal Art
With Christine Kozlov, while both are still students at the School of Visual Arts, he founds the Museum of Normal Art in New York, which gives the first exposure to artists such as Robert Ryman, On Kawara and Hanne Darboven.
1967
The show “Fifteen People Present Their Favorite Book”
At the Lannis Gallery in New York, Kosuth assembles the show “Fifteen People Present Their Favorite Book,” with Robert Morris, Ad Reinhardt, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mangold, Dan Graham, Robert Smithson, Carl Andre, Robert Ryman and other artists.
