Artwork Description
Truism: The Beginning of the War Will Be Secret
Dimensions: 6 x 8″
Year: 1994
Media: mixed media on wood
Jenny Holzer’s Truisms are post-card sized original messages printed on wood. Her Truisms reside in many museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Holzer is known for mass producing short statements meant to provoke viewers. To ensure as wide an audience as possible, she often prints her word-only images on paper, wood, clothing, or hats, so they are as accessible as possible. Curator Lucy Lippard included Holzer’s Truisms in her Social Strategies by Women Artists exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. Holzer’s works are in the world’s major art museums, and she is the recipient of the Leone d’Oro award for her work at the Venice Biennale. She has also been awarded numerous honorary Doctorates of Fine Arts, as well as the Berlin Prize.