In the late 1960s John Baldessari was part of a group of West Coast American conceptual artists whose work was characterised by a deadpan wit. Based in Los Angeles since, he has become one of the most influential artists of his generation.

Making his name as a pioneer of conceptual art in the 1960s with his text and image paintings, Baldessari shocked the art world when he announced in a newspaper that he was cremating all the artworks he had produced between 1953 and 1966. He then turned his attention to photographic works often incorporating found film stills, trawling dumpsters for discarded material from which he created his famous photo-compositions.

This film was made in 2009 to accompany an exhibition at Tate Modern: John Baldessari – Pure Beauty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3e1WVU8Cc