Jenny Holzer

JENNY HOLZER "RUIN - INFLAMMATORY ESSAY" 1982

Jenny Holzer is one of the most important and original artists of the 20th century.

Her body of work, with its emphasis on text, is provocative and occasionally frightening, manipulating the language of folk wisdom, pop culture and government slogan to produce commentary on global issues including power structures, gender struggle, economics, voting and warfare.

Holzer's iconic "Inflammatory Essays", first created between 1979 and 1982, were pasted on walls throughout heavily populated metro areas including New York and shortly after in other cities. Unsigned and commercially produced, they subverted the conventions of both advertising, graffiti and public art. Each essay was in a different eye-catching color to maximize viewers' attention. It was also helpful when one Essay replaced an older one. 

The texts were derived from her childhood interest in rapturous writings. Holzer tried to emulate a similar style for her essays, yet borrowed from political theorists (notably Mao, Lenin and Emma Goldman), anarchists and religious fanatics.

The essays shift between multiple viewpoints and do not reflect Holzer’s own, but rather overall themes and styles taken from her inspirations. The essay's tones are declarative, aggressive, urgent, and often menacing. 

Each essay contains exactly 100 words in 20 lines of text. The rigidity of this contained format is juxtaposed against the extreme content exploding from the essay. It is worth emphasizing that these texts were frequently pasted on walls alongside or even covering conventional street advertising. 

Over the course of Holzer's career, the artist has continued to revisit the content and affect of the "Inflammatory Essays" and as such they are like cornerstone of her practice.  

This vanilla colored Inflammatory Essay drips with dark satire and cynicism. Unveiling a bleak view of humanity, it calls for deliberate self-ruin over inevitable ruin at the hands of others ("rich guys"). Complete decimation, including escapism through drugs, or death are presented as the only paths to true freedom. Holzer explores one of her favorite muses, power structures, with the black-heart of a noir novel in this Inflammatory Essay. 

Though created decades ago, Holzer's texts remain timeless and urgent - and perhaps more relevant than ever given today's sociopolitical environment.

The "Inflammatory Essays" can be found in numerous museum collections including the Tate (London), the Broad (Los Angeles, The Hammer Museum (Los Angeles), MACBA (Barcelona), and the Centre Pompidou (Paris) to mention a few. 

Questions about this artwork? Contact us or call +1.416.704.1720

"Inflammatory Essay" (from Documenta 1982)

Offset lithograph

17”H 17”W

Very good condition

Detailed condition report by request 

Note: Essays were photographed in plastic protective sleeves 

Literature: "Jenny Holzer" by Diane Waldman 1989, pg. 58-59

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