In 1960, Lawrence Weiner used explosions to make a series of craters in Mill Valley, California. A few years later he realized he was spending more time talking about paintings than painting them, so, in keeping with the conceptual aesthetics that strive for direct and non-objective transmission of i

Dense, Event, Open-ended

Robert Frank is among the most important living photographers, but to say this is to understate the self-evident. At the same time, it seems ironic to articulate the importance of an artist who is so indifferent to success and so suspicious of whatever is well regarded. Frank's work chronicles th

Beats, Contemplative, Documentary photography, Intimate, Melancholy, Minimal, Open-ended, Sublime

Ono's work has generally consisted of quiet, personalized, meditative pieces, as well as "event" shows or Happenings, all of which were highly conceptual and often required observer participation to complete. In her "Stone Show" (early 1960s), participants entered a room measuring about 20 square fee

Clever, Fluxus, Improvised, Open-ended, Physical force, Political, Quirky, Rebel, Serene, Sincere, Smart

A provocateur par excellence, Joseph Beuys never ceased to emphasize the act of art or to conceive of art itself as an action. His entire oeuvre aims at dissolving the distinction between art and life, at recognizing creativity in every milieu, whether it be in the way an artist paints a canvas or a

Elegant, Fluxus, Media art, Mythic, Open-ended, Political, Process art, Repetition, Spare, Visceral