Conceptual art pioneer Mel Bochner dies at 84 in New York
Mel Bochner, a prominent figure in conceptual art, passed away on February 12, 2025, in New York City at 84 years old. His passing was announced by affiliated galleries, including Fraenkel and Marc Selwyn Fine Art. Born in Pittsburgh on August 23, 1940, Bochner earned his degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 1962. He relocated to New York in 1964 and began his teaching career in art history at the School of Visual Arts. His artistic endeavors were notably shaped by philosophical concepts and mathematics, culminating in a significant exhibition in 1966 and a retrospective at the National Gallery of Art in 2011.
Key facts
- Mel Bochner died on February 12, 2025, in New York at age 84.
- He was a key figure in the conceptual art movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
- He was born on August 23, 1940, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1962.
- He moved to New York in 1964 and taught at the School of Visual Arts.
- His work was influenced by Ludwig Wittgenstein and symbolic logic.
- In 1966, he organized the exhibition 'Working Drawings And Other Visible Things On Paper Not Necessarily Meant To Be Viewed As Art' at the School of Visual Arts.
- He was among the first to use photography as part of the artistic process, alongside Joseph Kosuth and Bruce Nauman.
- His works are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Art.
- The National Gallery of Art held a retrospective 'In the Tower: Mel Bochner' in 2011.
- The traveling exhibition 'Mel Bochner: If the Colour Changes' was shown at Whitechapel Gallery, Haus der Kunst, and Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves in 2012.
Entities
Artists
- Mel Bochner
- Donald Judd
- Dan Flavin
- Joseph Kosuth
- Bruce Nauman
- Ludwig Wittgenstein
Institutions
- Fraenkel Gallery
- Marc Selwyn Fine Art
- Peter Freeman, Inc.
- Carnegie Mellon University
- School of Visual Arts
- Museum of Modern Art
- National Gallery of Art
- Whitechapel Gallery
- Haus der Kunst
- Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves
Locations
- New York
- Pittsburgh
- Pennsylvania
- Washington D.C.
- London
- Munich
- Porto