Monument of Monuments

1996

engraved bluestone

blocks

dimensions variable

Joseph Kosuth is an American artist working in New York and London most

known for helping to pioneer the Conceptual art movement. His work spans

many different mediums but it consistently explores the role of language in

art. Kosuth’s work is almost always primarily conceptual in nature and can

sometimes be seen as evidence of the idea that the “art” is not located within

the object, but rather in the concept behind the art.

The Progressive Art Collection contains Kosuth's 1996 piece a Monument of

Monuments. This piece consists of one hundred and forty four carved stones

with the name and dates of monuments in the Cleveland area. The slabs are

mounted on a single wall of a long corridor, displayed as neutral pieces of

information divorced from the monuments they were made to commemorate.

Kosuth's separation of the name and the monument urges us to think more

deeply about the artworks that live among us in our daily lives. This piece

contrasts with the traditional experience of viewing monuments. While most

people are familiar with the look of a monument, this piece catalogs the

information of monuments’ titles and dates, charging the viewer with the

responsibility to investigate further.

-Cora Terrion