John Baldessari was an influential American conceptual artist born on June 17, 1931, in National City, California, and he passed away on January 2, 2020. He was known for his work in a variety of media including photography, video, film, sculpture, printmaking, and installation.
Baldessari's educational background includes studying at San Diego State College, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Otis Art Institute. His artistic career took a significant turn in the late 1960s when he began incorporating text and photography in his work, a move that distinguished him as a pivotal figure in the conceptual art movement.
One of his most famous acts was the cremation of all the paintings he had created between 1953 and 1966, an event from which he used the ashes to bake cookies forming a new artwork. This act underscored his belief in discarding old ideas and conventions and continuously seeking new means of expression.
Throughout his career, Baldessari was also a dedicated and influential educator, teaching at institutions such as the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and the University of California, Los Angeles. His teaching and his art both emphasized the importance of breaking away from traditional artistic practices and encouraged questioning the norms of the art world.
Baldessari received numerous awards and honors in his lifetime, including the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in 2009. His work is held in major collections worldwide, and he has had numerous retrospectives, highlighting his critical role in shaping contemporary art.