Conceptual Art and other Essays by Art & Language. 1965-2023

A chronological illustrated analysis of fifty-eight years of work by the collective Art & Language

Conceptual Art and other Essays by Art & Language. 1965-2023 by Michael Baldwin and Mel Ramsden presents an in-depth analysis of the works and ideas developed by the artists' collective known as Art & Language. Founded in 1965 by a group of British and American artists, the collective's name is derived from the journal Art-Language, first published in Coventry in May 1969. This journal originated in the collaborative work of Terry Atkinson and Michael Baldwin, in association with Harold Hurrell and David Bainbridge, who were its original editors.

Subsequently, Art & Language became a term used to identify the joint and separate artistic efforts of these four, reflecting the conversational foundation of their practice. By late 1969, the collective activity expanded to incorporate contributions from New York by Joseph Kosuth, Ian Burn, and Mel Ramsden.

More than just a creator of artworks, Art & Language has been pivotal in developing its art theory, crucial for understanding and theoretically underpinning conceptual art during the 1970s and 1980s. By 1976, the genealogical thread of their artistic work was helmed by Michael Baldwin and Mel Ramsden, with whom it still remains to this day.