Douglas Huebler
Encyclopedia
Douglas Huebler was an American
conceptual artist
.
Initially a painter, Huebler moved on to produce geometric Formica
sculptures in the early '60s, which aligned him with the Minimalist movement. In 1969, he participated, with Joseph Kosuth
, Robert Barry
and Lawrence Weiner
, in a landmark exhibition of conceptual art curated by Seth Siegelaub
. As part of the show, Huebler issued one of his most famous statements: "The world is full of objects, more or less interesting; I do not wish to add any more." He then started producing works in numerous media often involving documentary photography
, maps and text to explore social environments and the effect of passing time on objects. A representative example of Huebler's early work is Duration Piece #5, 1969, a series of ten black & white photographs with accompanying text; to document the piece, Huebler stood in Central Park and, each time he heard a bird call, he pointed his camera in the direction of the call and shot a photograph. In 1971, he began "Variable Piece #70 (In Process) Global," for which he proposed his intention "to photographically document the existence of everyone alive." In the 1980s and '90s, Huebler began incorporating painting into his conceptual art pieces, creating a persona he called "the Great Corrector," who took works by masters like Picasso, Matisse, Breugel and Hieronymus Bosch and attempted to "make them better."
Huebler's academic career spanned more than forty years; he taught art at Bradford College in Massachusetts, and at Harvard, and served for ten years as dean of the art school at California Institute of Arts. In 1989, he retired to Cape Cod, where he died in 1997.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
conceptual artist
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
.
Life and career
Douglas Huebler grew up in rural Michigan during the Depression and served in the Marines in World War II. After the war, funded by the GI Bill, Huebler earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Michigan, and later went on to study at the Académie Julian in Paris. He worked for several years as a commercial art illustrator in New York as he established himself as an artist.Initially a painter, Huebler moved on to produce geometric Formica
Formica
Formica is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, or field ants. Formica is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae...
sculptures in the early '60s, which aligned him with the Minimalist movement. In 1969, he participated, with Joseph Kosuth
Joseph Kosuth
Joseph Kosuth , is an American conceptual artist. Kosuth lives in New York and Rome.-Early life and career:Kosuth was born in Toledo, Ohio. He attended the Toledo Museum School of Design from 1955 to 1962 and studied privately under the Belgian painter Line Bloom Draper. In 1963, Kosuth enrolled at...
, Robert Barry
Robert Barry
Robert Barry may refer to:*Robert Barry , Irish MP for Charleville*Robert Barry , Scottish Canadian merchant*Robert R. Barry , U.S. Representative from New York*Robert L. Barry, U.S...
and Lawrence Weiner
Lawrence Weiner
Lawrence Weiner was a central figure in the formation of conceptual art in the 1960s His work often takes the form of typographic texts.- Life and career :...
, in a landmark exhibition of conceptual art curated by Seth Siegelaub
Seth Siegelaub
Seth Siegelaub is an American-born art dealer, curator, author and researcher. He is best known for his innovative promotion of conceptual art in New York in the 1960s and 70s., but has also been a political researcher and publisher, textile history bibliographer and collector, and a researcher...
. As part of the show, Huebler issued one of his most famous statements: "The world is full of objects, more or less interesting; I do not wish to add any more." He then started producing works in numerous media often involving documentary photography
Documentary photography
Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle significant and historical events. It is typically covered in professional photojournalism, but it may also be an amateur, artistic, or academic pursuit...
, maps and text to explore social environments and the effect of passing time on objects. A representative example of Huebler's early work is Duration Piece #5, 1969, a series of ten black & white photographs with accompanying text; to document the piece, Huebler stood in Central Park and, each time he heard a bird call, he pointed his camera in the direction of the call and shot a photograph. In 1971, he began "Variable Piece #70 (In Process) Global," for which he proposed his intention "to photographically document the existence of everyone alive." In the 1980s and '90s, Huebler began incorporating painting into his conceptual art pieces, creating a persona he called "the Great Corrector," who took works by masters like Picasso, Matisse, Breugel and Hieronymus Bosch and attempted to "make them better."
Huebler's academic career spanned more than forty years; he taught art at Bradford College in Massachusetts, and at Harvard, and served for ten years as dean of the art school at California Institute of Arts. In 1989, he retired to Cape Cod, where he died in 1997.