Lawrence Weiner (1942 – 2021) was born in the Bronx, NY, and lived and worked in New York City and Amsterdam. In the late1960s he turned from painting to adopt language as his primary material. His subsequent work has altered the ways we think about artistic production, the mode of presentation, and an artwork’s ultimate reception. Weiner explored these possibilities for over fifty years. His work is widely accessible, as reflected in the posters, books, films, editions, and public installations he produced during his lifetime. 

In 1969 Weiner issued a Declaration of Intent: 

1. THE ARTIST MAY CONSTRUCT THE WORK
2. THE WORK MAY BE FABRICATED
3. THE WORK NEED NOT BE BUILT 

EACH BEING EQUAL AND CONSISTENT WITH THE INTENT OF THE ARTIST, THE DECISION AS TO CONDITION RESTS WITH THE RECEIVER UPON THE OCCASION OF RECEIVERSHIP 

In this collaborative synthesis of the work, whether the work is physically manifested or not, Weiner’s artworks can be presented in a specific site but are not created as such. His materials and their formal presentation in museums, galleries, homes and public spaces vary. Works appear on a multitude of surfaces, from walls to matchbooks to manhole covers, pins and t-shirts, spoken or sung. The same work can appear in different formats as to placement, color, typeface, format, and scale and with texts, for example, painted, printed, stenciled, or in vinyl. Weiner’s work continues to disrupt our notion of art’s use, authorship, display, and material.