The idiosyncratic American artist Joseph Kosuth approaches art with
The present lot, One and three hammers, 1965, is a prime example of
conceptual and intellectual reasoning rather than artistic intuition. Like
Kosuth’s adoption of words and language as his artistic tools. Devoid
Marcel Duchamp, he is primarily concerned with the definition and
of everything aside from the mechanically printed words, the work can
meaning behind an object. The creative process is achieved through his
be seen as both a visual and a verbal code, one that invites the viewer
method of conceptualization and is highlighted by his critical questioning
to engage with the dialectical relationship between the idea of art and
of visual representation and perception.
the realized object. Kosuth’s preoccupation with language, meaning, relationships and the interpretation of visual information is fundamentally an enquiry into the very nature of any artwork.
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