Stephen Kaltenbach
Stephen Kaltenbach's work addresses his observations and queries in the making of Conceptual Art. Kaltenbach was first active in New York during the 1960s and from 1970 to the present in Northern California. The post-minimal conceptual art he produced then and now is receiving renewed international attention. His years as a member of the New York scene in the 1960s placed him at the forefront in the formation of a new, idea-based type of art making that was later formalized as Conceptual Art. At the time, the wide variety of experimental approaches could not be properly called a stylistic movement, but gave artists freedom to work in styles and media that were not previously understood to be art.
Kaltenbach left New York in 1970, returning to Northern California, where he taught (and operated under the art world radar) continuing to make art using a variety of conceptual strategies in a secret 40 year project revealed by Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer in the September 2010 issue of Artforum.
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Prints and Editions
LAST ACT, LAST WORD, LAST THOUGHT
A limited edition triptych serigraph in two states. Revisiting themes that have recurred throughout the artist's career, and celebrating subtlety and impermanence, these prints continue Kaltenbach's trailblazing work as a founding member of the tradition of American conceptual art.
Published by BGFA and Another Year in LA
State I is printed in one color of ink at a 90% gray on black Stonehenge paper, creating a very subtle but stable impression.
State II is printed with a single pass of a gloss varnish, allowing the image of the words to appear and disappear depending on the lighting and your point of view.
Detail photos are available upon request
State I
1 color (90% gray) Serigraph on Black Stonehenge 250gsm
15 x 20"
2020
Razor edge
Edition of 15
Signed on lower right, numbered on lower left
$2,000
State II
1 color (gloss varnish) Serigraph on Black Stonehenge 250gsm
15 x 20"
2020
Razor edge
Edition of 10
Signed on reverse lower right, numbered on reverse lower left
$2,500
Become a Legend
Letterpress Print on Reich’s Savoy #236 Bright White
Edition of 25
10.5 x 10.5”
2018
$1,500
“Become a legend” is based on one of Kaltenbach's original set of Artforum ads that he ran anonymously in 1969 and put him on the map as an influential conceptual artist at the beginning of his career.
It is printed using metal plate letterpress, similar to the printing process common in 1969. The paper is on a thick, rigid cotton rag, allowing the text to take on a deep texture.
Published by BGFA and Aardvark Letterpress.
A Short Article on Art Expression
Typeset Letterpress Print on Reich’s Savoy #118 White
Edition of 25
24 x 18
2016
$1,500
“A Short Article on Art Expression” is an essay that Kaltenbach wrote in late 1968, first published in the School for Visual Arts newspaper. It appeared again 1969 in the catalog for Harald Szeemann’s groundbreaking “When Attitudes Become Form” exhibition in Bern, Switzerland and again in the exhibition brochure for Kaltenbach’s solo show at the Whitney Museum, “Room Alterations” in late 1969. The essay seeks to define art expression through a series of statements and questions related to the manipulation and alteration of perception.
Published by BGFA and Aardvark Letterpress.
Click here to read the text of the print
CAPUT
3 Color Anaglyph (3D) Letterpress Print on Crane's Lettra #100 White
Red/Blue Glasses included
Edition of 50
18 x 24"
2016
$1,500
Published by BGFA and Aardvark Letterpress. Each print comes with a pair of sturdy 3D glasses.
LIPS (Kiss)
Rubber Stamp Impression Print
Edition of 100
5 x 7"
2005
$250
This print was created in 2005 using his original lip print rubber stamp from the 1960s, an artifact from a performance based project that has received international acclaim.
Art Works
Bronze
Edition of 100
5 x 8 x 0.5"
1968/2010
$3,000
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