Conceptual art pioneer John Baldessari dies at 88

On January 5, 2020, John Baldessari, a prominent figure in conceptual art, passed away at the age of 88. He was born in 1931 in National City, California, to a Dutch mother and an Italian father. Baldessari transformed the art scene during the 1960s and 70s and taught at institutions like CalArts and UCLA, influencing artists globally. In 2009, he was honored with the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Biennale, and that same year, Tate Modern hosted a retrospective of his work. His early creations integrated text and canvas, while The Cremation Project in 1970 involved destroying many of his earlier pieces. His notable series include Wrong (1966) and Double Bill (2012).