Dan Flavin

One of the most influential and renowned figures in the contemporary art scene, Dan Flavin actually started his formal career in the art field as a guard and elevator operator for several museums. This experience probably reinforced his insight into the studies of light and the use of exhibition space and exposed him to the Impressionists, Colorists, Modernists, and Dadaists whose influences are made explicit in his work through his practice of leaving pieces untitled yet dedicated to artists including Mondrian, Brancusi, Jasper Johns, and Duchamp.

Categorized against his will as a Minimalist or Abstract Expressionist, Flavin is best known for his unembellished, rationalistic displays of light-tubes, often shown in gigantic installations that sought to invigorate dead spaces or voids by painting them with the medium of light. Even before his death in 1996, he was recognized as one of the frontrunners of a wave that revolutionized American sculpture, as well as for being the first to use electric light in gallery-exhibited art, a practice widely emulated since.

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The Artspace Art for Life Interview with John Pawson
The Artspace Art for Life Interview with John Pawson
Quiz: Match the Minimalist with the Right Cube
Quiz: Match the Minimalist with the Right Cube
Eleven Art Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List
Eleven Art Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List
Five Holiday Window Displays By Dan Flavin, Rob Pruitt, & Others
Five Holiday Window Displays By Dan Flavin, Rob Pruitt, & Others
“I Made Myself Up!”: McArthur Binion on His Path
“I Made Myself Up!”: McArthur Binion on His Path
Less is More: 5 Tips for Choosing Minimalist Art
Less is More: 5 Tips for Choosing Minimalist Art
How to Decorate the Perfect Living Room
How to Decorate the Perfect Living Room
7 Radical Lessons From "Modern Art in America"
7 Radical Lessons From "Modern Art in America"
7 Ways of Understanding Annabelle Selldorf's Work
7 Ways of Understanding Annabelle Selldorf's Work
10 Artists to Watch This February
10 Artists to Watch This February
9 Artist/Architects You Should Know
9 Artist/Architects You Should Know
Dan Graham's 5 Best & 4 Worst Parts of Art School
Dan Graham's 5 Best & 4 Worst Parts of Art School
10 of the Best Artworks at EXPO CHICAGO 2015
10 of the Best Artworks at EXPO CHICAGO 2015
Donna De Salvo on the Whitney Museum's New World
Donna De Salvo on the Whitney Museum's New World
The Intellectual Origins of Minimalism
The Intellectual Origins of Minimalism
10 of Art History's Most Important Defunct Galleries
10 of Art History's Most Important Defunct Galleries
Our Guide to NYC's Hottest Summer Shows
Our Guide to NYC's Hottest Summer Shows
Dan Graham on How to Use His Met "Pavilion"
Dan Graham on How to Use His Met "Pavilion"
Steven Sacks on How to Collect New Media Art
Steven Sacks on How to Collect New Media Art
Leo Fitzpatick on His New Home Alone 2 Gallery
Leo Fitzpatick on His New Home Alone 2 Gallery
A Squiggly, Neon-Lit Guide to Post-Minimalism
A Squiggly, Neon-Lit Guide to Post-Minimalism
7 Artists to Watch This January
7 Artists to Watch This January
The Artspace Team's Favorite Artworks of 2013
The Artspace Team's Favorite Artworks of 2013