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Joseph Kosuth — 'Word, Sentence, Paragraph (Z. & N.) #16'
Joseph Kosuth

'Word, Sentence, Paragraph (Z. & N.) #16'

A pioneering work of Conceptual Art, this piece by Joseph Kosuth brings together mounted photography, glowing neon tubing, and transformers to explore the relationship between language and meaning. By presenting text across three distinct hierarchical forms — word, sentence, and paragraph — Kosuth investigates how units of language accumulate and transform significance. The cold luminescence of the neon against the photographic surface reinforces his enduring interrogation of how art communicates and defines itself through signs and symbols.

Medium
mounted photograph, neon and transformers
Dimensions
Signed
Yes

🔨 Auction Lot

Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Morning Session

May 15, 2020

Estimate: $50,000$70,000

Lot 78

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About this work

Joseph Kosuth, 'Word, Sentence, Paragraph (Z. & N.) #16'

A pioneering work of Conceptual Art, this piece by Joseph Kosuth brings together mounted photography, glowing neon tubing, and transformers to explore the relationship between language and meaning. By presenting text across three distinct hierarchical forms — word, sentence, and paragraph — Kosuth investigates how units of language accumulate and transform significance. The cold luminescence of the neon against the photographic surface reinforces his enduring interrogation of how art communicates and defines itself through signs and symbols.

Medium
mounted photograph, neon and transformers
Dimensions
287 x 266.7 cm
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Analytical Mood, Photography, Male Artist, Cool Tones, Mixed Media, Late Twentieth Century, Conceptual Art, American Artist, Language And Meaning, Neon Light, Pioneering Artist, Text-Based Art

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