This Is Post-Theory Art — Twelve Art History and Conceptual Art Quotes
If Conceptual Art Is About An Idea, Post-Theory Art Is How It All Relates.
In conceptual art, the [singular] idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work” — Sol LeWitt, Paragraphs on Conceptual Art, 1967).
“Post-Theory art … it’s like honey bees … you go flower to flower … little bits, different things … and you make honey … you relate and connect things no one else might see.” (Wilson, This Is Post-Theory Art, 2025).
“It is not about we humans unless it is by us … anything can make a theory now … but only we make what is human … and that is Post-Theory Art.” (Wilson, 2025).
If Post-Conceptual Art Made Art Forms Fluid, Post-Theory Art Makes Human Art And Theories Fluid.
“The shift to post-conceptual art [is] a move . . . where the boundaries between art forms become fluid.” — Rosalind Krauss, October Journal, 2000.
“A recognition of post-theory art . . . shows where the boundaries between art forms and human theories become fluid.” (Wilson, 2025).
If Whatever An Artist Does Is Art, Whatever An Artist Thinks And Connects Is Also Art.
“If I was an artist and I was in the studio, then whatever I was doing in the studio must be art.” — Bruce Nauman, 1966.
“If whatever an artist does can be art … then whatever an artist thinks and feels can be art … no matter where or how expressed.” (Wilson, 2025).
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A very brief art history of Post-Theory Art — and the art history debate about theory in art — in the words of artists themselves:
Brâncuși, Constantin. (Early 20th Century, Romania). “The true artist does not theorize about art, but instead creates relationships through their work.”
Calle, Sophie. (Late 20th Century, France). “The relationships between objects and people can often reveal more than the objects or people themselves.”
Chagall, Marc. (Mid 20th Century, Belarus/France). “Theories in art are often reflections of the artist’s own mind rather than the work itself, which is born from the heart.”
Eliasson, Olafur. (21st Century, Denmark). “In art, the theory is not just an intellectual exercise but a deep connection to the world around us.”
Rauschenberg, Robert. (Late 20th Century, USA). “Theories are tools; art is an act of discovery.”
Rodin, Auguste. (Late 19th Century, France). “I invent nothing, I rediscover. Seeing connections where others have not.”
