Jenny Holzer (born 1950 in Gallipolis, Ohio) is a seminal figure in contemporary art, best known for her text-based works that confront power, politics, and the social function of language. Working across media including LED signs, projections, prints, and paintings, Holzer uses language as both material and message, examining how words shape perception, authority, and control.
Central to her practice are public installations that insert provocative statements into urban and architectural spaces. By adopting the visual language of advertising, signage, and official communication, Holzer embeds her texts directly into everyday environments, disrupting familiar modes of consumption and prompting critical reflection. Phrases such as "protect me from what I want" and "abuse of power comes as no surprise" have become iconic, distilling complex political and psychological ideas into direct, unforgettable declarations.
Alongside her public works, Holzer's signed limited edition prints extend this inquiry into more intimate formats. These fine art prints preserve the urgency and conceptual clarity of her public statements while allowing for closer engagement with typography, material, and surface. Across all media, Holzer's practice foregrounds language as a site of both revelation and concealment, urging viewers to question how meaning is constructed and disseminated.
Jenny Holzer's paintings and prints have been exhibited internationally and are held in the collections of major institutions including the Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, Tate, and the Barbican Centre. In 1990, Holzer was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, cementing her status as one of the most influential voices in contemporary conceptual art.
