Joseph Kosuth

Joseph Kosuth (born January 31, 1945), is an American conceptual artist. He lives in New York and London, after residing in various cities in Europe, including Ghent, Rome and Berlin.

Born in Toledo, Ohio. Studied at the Toledo Museum School of Design and with the Belgian painter Line Bloom Draper 1955-62, then at the Cleveland Art Institute 1963-4. Moved in 1964 to New York and studied 1965-7 at the School of Visual Arts; afterwards joined the faculty.

In 1965 began making word pieces in neon and his first Conceptual works (such as T01909) consisting of an object, a photograph of it and dictionary definitions of the words denoting it. These were followed by a series of 'investigations' comprising propositions on/about/of 'art' with the subtitle 'Art as Idea as Idea', including definitions from a dictionary or categories from the Thesaurus presented in the form of photostats or published in space purchased in newspapers.

Co-founder in 1967 of an exhibition area in New York known as the Museum of Normal Art, and had his first one-man exhibition there the same year. Became in 1969 a member of the Editorial Board of the Art and Language Press, England, and American editor of the journal Art-Language. From 1971 studied anthropology and philosophy at the New School for Social Research, New York, and travelled throughout the world. Lives in New York.