John Latham was a British conceptual artist, widely recognized for his multifaceted and often provocative contributions to the art world.
Latham's work spanned a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, film, and installation, but he is perhaps best known for his conceptual and theoretical work which explored the relationship between art, language, and science.
John Latham was born on February 23, 1921, in Livingstone, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). He moved to the United Kingdom in 1938 and served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II. After the war, he studied at the Regent Street Polytechnic and later at the Chelsea College of Art and Design. His early work was influenced by his experiences during the war and his later deep interest in physics and cosmology. This unique blend of influences led him to develop a complex personal philosophy that viewed time as a central element of human understanding and perception.
Career and Artistic Contributions
Latham is perhaps most famous for his controversial ""book reliefs,"" which involved attaching books to canvases and then coating them with plaster and paint. One of his most notorious acts was the "chewing" of Clement Greenberg's "Art and Culture" book, which he then returned to the library in a fermented, distilled liquid form, encapsulating his critique of established art criticism.
In addition to his physical artworks, Latham was an influential thinker and a founding figure of the Artist Placement Group (APG) in the 1960s. The APG facilitated the placement of artists within industrial and governmental settings, aiming to challenge and expand the role of the artist in society.
John Latham’s theoretical and practical explorations made significant impacts on the conceptual art movement in Britain and beyond. His work remains influential in contemporary art discussions, particularly those concerning the intersection of art, theory, and societal systems.