American conceptual artist John Baldessari has died at the age of 88.
His death was confirmed by the Marian Goodman Gallery in a tweet earlier today.
"It is with immense sadness that I write to let you know of the death of the intelligent, loving and incomparable John Baldessari," the tweet, signed by the gallery owner Marian Goodman, reads.
It is with immense sadness that I write to let you know of the death of the intelligent, loving and incomparable
— Marian Goodman Gallery (@MarianGoodman) January 6, 2020
John Baldessari.
The loss to his family, his fellow artists, his studio staff, friends and devoted former students is beyond measure.
- Marian pic.twitter.com/1pPnimwyTW
Baldessari's thought-provoking artwork has been exhibited in shows across the US and Europe, including more than 300 solo exhibitions.
Born in National City, California in 1931, Baldessari received his Bachelor of Arts in 1953 from San Diego State College and his Master of Arts in painting in 1957, according to his website.
Earlier in his career, he painted landscapes and abstract compositions, but in 1970 he burnt everything he ever made. After that, his work witnessed a shift where more of his art featured other mediums such as photographs and text. One of his first prints, I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art is example of how his work changed.
When asked what he thinks he would be most remembered for, he said: "the guy that put dots on people's faces."
He received numerous awards throughout his career, most notably the 2014 National Medal of Arts, which was presented to him by former US President Barack Obama and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Biennale in 2009.
Since the news of his death broke out, tributes have started to pour in on social media.
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of legendary artist #JohnBaldessari, whose exhibition “John Baldessari: Pure Beauty” was shown at The Met in 2010–11. His work as a pioneering conceptual artist will not soon be forgotten.
— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) January 6, 2020
"It’s human desire to be understood."
— La Biennale di Venezia (@la_Biennale) January 6, 2020
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of #JohnBaldessari, internationally acclaimed conceptual artist and recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the #BiennaleArte2009. pic.twitter.com/WWtSUnNk6q
RIP #JohnBaldessari one of the most influential artists of our time. And one of the most generous to we younger people. 💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/1OZswQ7dsG
— curator's office (@curatorsoffice) January 5, 2020
RIP #JohnBaldessari, whose work helped shape not only Los Angeles but the modern art world at large. Seen here is his photo series Some Rooms (1986), from our permanent collection ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NTKBdDsITH
— MOCA (@MOCAlosangeles) January 6, 2020
