Dennis Oppenheim
USA
Bio
Dennis Oppenheim was one of the most influential and respected artists of his generation. A pioneer in the fields of earthworks, body art and conceptual art, he chose to work outside the formally defined museum and gallery spaces. Spanning the four decades of his practice, Oppenheim employed a multitude of methods for artistic expression: writing, action, performance, video, film, photography, and installation. He used mechanical and industrial elements, fireworks, common objects, traditional materials and materials of the earth. He has created works for interior, exterior and public spaces.
Two of his most seminal works, Device To Root Out Evil and Engagement have been exhibited at the Vancouver Biennale. He was also the recipient of the Vancouver Biennale’s 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Since the 1960s Oppenheim’s works have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, Centre George Pompidou, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Venice Biennale, Documenta in Kassel, the Tate Gallery, London, the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.