Art & Language is an influential conceptual art collective founded in the late 1960s in the United Kingdom. The group emerged as a reaction against the traditional forms and hierarchies of the art world, challenging the conventional notions of art-making and authorship. The founding members, including Michael Baldwin, Terry Atkinson, David Bainbridge, and Harold Hurrell, sought to merge the disciplines of art and language, emphasizing the role of theoretical discourse in the creation and understanding of art.
Central to Art & Language's practice is their engagement with text and philosophy. Their works often incorporate written language, reflecting a deep interest in how art can be a medium for critical thought and intellectual inquiry. This approach is exemplified in their seminal publication, the "Art-Language" journal, first issued in 1969. The journal became a platform for the group's ideas, featuring essays, dialogues, and works that interrogate the nature of art, the role of the artist, and the relationship between language and visual experience.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Art & Language expanded its membership and influence, with key figures like Mel Ramsden and Ian Burn joining the collective. Their collaborative projects often blurred the lines between authorship and collective creativity, questioning the individualistic ethos prevalent in the art world. Their work spans various media, including painting, installation, and performance, always rooted in a conceptual framework that invites viewers to engage with complex theoretical issues.
Art & Language's impact on the conceptual art movement is profound, as they have continually pushed the boundaries of what art can be and how it can function within society. Their practice is characterized by a rigorous questioning of artistic conventions and a commitment to intellectual rigor. Over the decades, the collective has maintained a dynamic and evolving practice, influencing generations of artists and thinkers. Today, the work of Art & Language is featured in major exhibitions and collections worldwide.
Major solo exhibitions include 'Landscapes?', Mulier Mulier Gallery, Knokke, Belgium (2022); ‘Figure it out who can’, Galerie Michael Janssen, Berlin, Germany (2019); ‘Nobody Spoke’, Kunstsaele, Berlin, Germany (2017); Museu d’Art Contemporary de Barcelona (MACBA), Barcelona, Spain (2014); Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, Belgium (2013); Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich, Switzerland (2012); Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo, Finland (2009); Centro De Arte Contemporáneo (CAC) Málaga, Spain (2004); MoMA PS1, New York, USA (1999); ICA, London, UK (1991); Tate Gallery, London, UK (1985).
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2025
(Forthcoming) 1965-2025, Fondation CAB, Brussels
In The Labyrinth, Mulier Mulier Gallery, Brussels
Art & Language ‘The Mirror Effect’ at Château de Montsoreau – Museum of Contemporary Art, Montsoreau
Accumulation – On Collecting, Growth and Excess First Sequence, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zürich
2023
Art & Language: Mascarade — Château de Montsoreau – Museum of Contemporary Art, Montsoreau
Isou’s Not Dead, Garage Cosmos, Brussels
2022
Landscapes?, Mulier Mulier Gallery, Knokke
Napoleon? Encore!, Musée d l’Armée, Invalides, Paris
2021
Now They Are, Jesus College, Cambridge
2020
Mappa Mundi, Contemporary Cartographies, Boghossian Foundation, Villa Empain, Brussels