Mel Bochner, pioneer conceptualist, 1940–2025
Renowned conceptual artist Mel Bochner has passed away. Born in Pittsburgh in 1940, he studied at Carnegie Mellon and Northwestern before relocating to New York in 1964. By 1966, while a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts, he curated a groundbreaking exhibition featuring works from prominent artists including Eva Hesse and Donald Judd. Bochner's innovative projects included '36 Photographs and 12 Diagrams' and the debut of his first 'Measurement Room' in Munich in 1969. His art has been celebrated in retrospectives at various institutions, with significant showcases at Carnegie Mellon and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Key facts
- Mel Bochner died in 2025.
- Born in Pittsburgh in 1940.
- Studied at Carnegie Mellon University and Northwestern University.
- Moved to New York in 1964, worked as a guard at The Jewish Museum.
- Organized 'Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to be Viewed as Art' in 1966.
- Created '36 Photographs and 12 Diagrams' in 1966.
- First 'Measurement Room' at Galerie Heiner Friedrich, Munich in 1969.
- Retrospectives at multiple institutions including Art Institute of Chicago and Jewish Museum.
Entities
Artists
- Mel Bochner
- Eva Hesse
- Donald Judd
- Robert Smithson
- Carl Andre
- Dan Flavin
- Sol LeWitt
- Jo Baer
- Benjamin Buchloh
Institutions
- School of Visual Arts
- Galerie Heiner Friedrich
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Domaine de Kerguéhennec
- Whitechapel Gallery
- Haus der Kunst
- Fundação de Serralves
- Jewish Museum
- Dia: Beacon
Locations
- Pittsburgh
- United States
- New York City
- Munich
- Germany
- Chicago
- Bignan
- France
- London
- Porto
- Portugal