Skip navigation

Main menu

  • What's on
  • Art & Artists
    • The Collection
      Artists
      Artworks
      Art by theme
      Media
      Videos
      Podcasts
      Short articles
      Learning
      Schools
      Art Terms
      Tate Research
      Art Making
      Create like an artist
      Kids art activities
      Tate Draw game
  • Visit
  • Shop
Become a Member
  • DISCOVER ART
  • ARTISTS A-Z
  • ARTWORK SEARCH
  • ART BY THEME
  • VIDEOS
  • ART TERMS
  • SCHOOLS
  • TATE KIDS
  • RESEARCH
  • Tate Britain
    Tate Britain Free admission
  • Tate Modern
    Tate Modern Free admission
  • Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
    Tate Liverpool + RIBA North Free admission
  • Tate St Ives
    Tate St Ives Ticket or membership card required
  • FAMILIES
  • ACCESSIBILITY
  • SCHOOLS
  • PRIVATE TOURS
Tate Logo
Become a Member

Jenny Holzer

born 1950

THEY’RE BREATHING 2017
Artwork © Jenny Holzer, member/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; engraved texts by Anna Swirszczynska © Ludmila Adamska — Orlowska; English translation of texts © Piotr Florczyk
License this image
In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Rooms

31 artworks by Jenny Holzer
View by Appointment

Biography

Jenny Holzer (born July 29, 1950) is an American neo-conceptual artist, based in Hoosick, New York. Her work focuses on the delivery of words and ideas in public spaces and includes large-scale installations, advertising billboards, projections on buildings and other structures, and illuminated electronic displays.

Holzer belongs to the feminist branch of a generation of artists that emerged around 1980, and was an active member of Colab during this time, participating in the famous Times Square Show.

Among the most notable honors she has received for her contributions to the arts are the Leone d'Oro (1990), the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award (1996), the rank of Officier des Arts et des Lettres (2016), the U.S. State Department's International Medal of Arts (2017), and the Time 100 Award (2024), as well as honorary doctorates from Williams College, the Rhode Island School of Design, the New School, and Smith College.

This biography is from Wikipedia under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License. Spotted a problem? Let us know.

Read full Wikipedia entry
Conceptual art

Artworks

Left Right
  • BLUE PURPLE TILT

    Jenny Holzer
    2007
  • Protect Protect

    Jenny Holzer
    2007
  • Shape the Battlespace

    Jenny Holzer
    2007
  • Phase I... Running Start Shape the Battlespace pewter

    Jenny Holzer
    2007
  • Phase II... Running Start Decisive Operations violet

    Jenny Holzer
    2007
  • Force at End of Phase III (If Required) violet

    Jenny Holzer
    2007
  • Phase III - Decisive Operations violet

    Jenny Holzer
    2007
  • [no title]

    Jenny Holzer
    1979–82
    View by appointment
See all 44

Film and audio

  • Talking Point

    Why I Love: Jenny Holzer's Inflammatory Essays

Artwork
Close

Join in

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Sign up to emails

Sign up to emails

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tate’s privacy policy

About

  • About us
  • Our collection
  • Terms and copyright
  • Governance
  • Picture library
  • ARTIST ROOMS
  • Tate Kids

Support

  • Tate Collective
  • Members
  • Patrons
  • Donate
  • Corporate
  • My account
  • Press
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Contact
© The Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery, 2025
All rights reserved