ARTIST RESEARCH: JENNY HOLZER

Jenny Holzer (born July 29th, 1950 in Gallipolis, Ohio, U.S.) is a conceptual artist known for her text-based art. She received a BA from Ohio University in Athens in 1972 and, in 1975, enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. During her stay there she began to introduce language into her work, and in the late 1970s began to display her 'truisms' (slogans/confrontational statements, usually containing political or social critique), printed on posters and flyers, throughout Manhattan. Throughout the 1980s and '90s she began displaying her messages using LED (light-emitting diode) signs in venues such as Times Square.  This remains the medium with which she is most associated. Like most of her oeuvre, these works were meant to confront the viewer and spark debate.

Holzer has received several important awards throughout her career, including the Blair Award in 1982, the Leone d’Oro award in 1990 and the MOCA Award to Distinguished Women in the Arts in 2010. Some of her most well-known works include Lustmord (1993-95), Protect Me From What I Want (1999) and For The City (2005).

 Image from Lustmord series, 1993-95

Protect Me From What I Want, 1999

Statement from Holzer's collection of Truisms ()

Image from For The City, 2005



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