{"title":"John Baldessari","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eJohn Baldessari (1931-2020) was an American conceptual artist whose wit and restless experimentation helped redefine what art could be. Born in National City, California, he studied at San Diego State College and later at several Californian universities, working for years as a teacher while painting in a relatively conventional manner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHis career pivoted in 1970, when he gathered his canvases, cremated them in what he called the \u003cem\u003eCremation Project\u003c\/em\u003e, and baked the ashes into cookies. From there he turned to text and photography. His early text paintings featured blunt, deadpan statements rendered by sign painters, while his later work drew on film stills and found photographs, which he cropped, juxtaposed, and obscured with colored dots over faces. Those dots became one of his signature motifs, a playful way of redirecting the viewer's attention and questioning how images carry meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBaldessari was equally influential as a teacher. He taught at CalArts from 1970 to 1986 and later at UCLA, mentoring generations of artists including David Salle, Mike Kelley, and Barbara Kruger, and he was known for encouraging irreverence and risk-taking in the classroom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eMajor retrospectives were staged at institutions including the Tate Modern, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and LACMA. He lived and worked in Santa Monica and Venice, California, until his death in Los Angeles in January 2020, aged 88.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"this-not-that-john-baldessari-t-shirt","title":"This Not That T-shirt","description":"\u003cp class=\"large\"\u003eThis t-shirt was originally released in 1995 to accompany \u003cem\u003eJohn Baldessari: This Not That\u003c\/em\u003e, the first major survey of his work from the previous 30 years to be shown in the UK. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBaldessari’s approach to conceptual art has always been ironic and playful, in marked contrast to the philosophical austerity of the East Coast conceptual artists. The survey came at a moment of revival of interest in conceptual art – a revival that was also having considerable influence on younger generations of artists. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Baldessari","offers":[{"title":"X-Small","offer_id":48217263800485,"sku":"JB-TNTT-XS","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Small","offer_id":48217246269605,"sku":"JB-TNTT-S","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Medium","offer_id":48217246302373,"sku":"JB-TNTT-M","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Large","offer_id":48217246335141,"sku":"JB-TNTT-L","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"X-Large","offer_id":48217263833253,"sku":"JB-TNTT-XL","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2113\/7453\/files\/29.09.26-SG2073.jpg?v=1790859534"},{"product_id":"john-baldessari-archive-reproduction-poster","title":"This Not That Archive Reproduction Poster","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn celebration of Serpentine's extensive archive we are excited to release a hand picked selection of our past exhibition posters. Posters are excellent remnants, and offer a snapshot back in time to a past moment. Posters have consistently offered visitors an affordable way to bring a piece of the exhibition home with them, marking their visit and therefore their participation in a shared piece of cultural heritage. We are delighted to offer visitors a second chance to take these landmark shows home with them! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis poster was originally produced to accompany the 1995 Serpentine exhibition John Baldessari: This Not That. This \u003cspan\u003eexhibition was the first major survey of John Baldessari’s work from the previous 30 years to be shown in the UK.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e© 1995–2026 John Baldessari Family Foundation\u003cbr\u003eCourtesy Estate of John Baldessari; Sprüth Magers\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Baldessari","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50548178092197,"sku":"JB-AP-26","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2113\/7453\/files\/john_baldessari_this_not_that_1995_5.png?v=1790957914"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2113\/7453\/collections\/Screenshot2026-09-29161107.jpg?v=1790939302","url":"https:\/\/shop.serpentinegalleries.org\/collections\/john-baldessari.oembed","provider":"Serpentine Galleries","version":"1.0","type":"link"}