John Baldessari is an American professional best known for playing Artist in The Cremation Project.
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Best Known For:The Cremation Project
Breakthrough:Began incorporating text and found imagery into paintings in 1966
10 Quick Facts About John Baldessari
- Full Name: John Baldessari
- Nationality: American
- Known For: The Cremation Project
- Date of Birth: June 17, 1931
- Age: 95 years old
- Place of Birth: National City, California
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Popular As: John Anthony Baldessari
- Specialization: Other (Famous Person) and Academic / Educator
- Net Worth: $170,000-$7,353,000 (Estimated range)
John Baldessari Age
John Baldessari is about 95 years old as of 2026. John Baldessari was born in 1931.
Education
His educational background includes studies at San Diego State College, University of California, Berkeley, and other institutions.
- San Diego State College
- Qualification: Bachelor of Arts
- Field of Study: Painting
- Period: 1953
- San Diego State College
- Qualification: Master of Arts
- Field of Study: Painting
- Period: 1957
- University of California, Berkeley
- Period: 1954–1955
- Otis Art Institute
- Field of Study: Art
- Period: 1957–1959
- Chouinard Art Institute
- Field of Study: Art
- Period: 1957–1959
Career & Work
John Baldessari's career includes professional roles with University of California, Los Angeles and California Institute of the Arts.
Role: Conceptual artist
Period: 1950s–2020
Details: United States
Organization: University of California, Los Angeles
Role: Art instructor
Period: 1996–2007
Details: Los Angeles, California · Taught art while maintaining an international exhibition career.
Organization: California Institute of the Arts
Role: Art instructor
Period: 1970–1988
Details: Valencia, California · Influential teacher of conceptual and contemporary artists.
Organization: CalArts
Role: Professor
Period: 1970–1986
Details: Valencia, California · Influential teacher of the 'Post-Studio' art class.
Organization: University of California, San Diego
Role: Professor of Art
Period: 1967–1970
Details: San Diego, California · Taught during a formative period of his conceptual art practice.
Organization: Southwestern College
Role: Art instructor
Period: 1962–1968
Details: Chula Vista, California · Taught art while developing his practice involving text, photography, and conceptual art.
Rise to Fame
John Baldessari rose to prominence for his role for the book More Than You Wanted to Know About John Baldessari.
Notable Works
Notable works include More Than You Wanted to Know About John Baldessari, The Cremation Project, and I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art.
Books
- Book: More Than You Wanted to Know About John Baldessari (Featured author, 2013) — Publication collecting writings about his artistic practice
- Work: The Cremation Project (Artist, 1970) — Burned earlier paintings and incorporated their ashes into an artwork
- Work: I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art (Artist, 1971) — Conceptual art project
- Work: John Baldessari: Pure Beauty (Featured artist, 2009-2011) — Major retrospective organized by Tate Modern and subsequently shown at other institutions
Awards & Achievements
- Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement — College Art Association — 1999 — Artistic achievement
- Lifetime Achievement Award — Americans for the Arts — 2005 — Visual arts
- Kaiserring Award — City of Goslar — 2012 — Artistic achievement
- National Medal of Arts — United States Government — 2014 — Contributions to the visual arts
John Baldessari Family & Relationships
John Baldessari is divorced. He has 2 children, Annamarie and Tony.
- Father: Antonio Baldessari
- Mother: Hedwig Jensen
- Children:
- Annamarie
- Tony
Lesser Known Facts
- In The Cremation Project, Baldessari burned many of his pre-1966 paintings and used their ashes as part of a new conceptual artwork.
- His childhood household raised chickens and rabbits and grew vegetables, practices that helped shape his later interest in reusing materials.
Personal Information
- Full Name: John Baldessari
- Popular As: John Anthony Baldessari
- Gender: Male
- Occupation: Famous Person
- Nationality: American
- Living Status: Deceased
- Ethnicity: White
Birth & Background
- Date of Birth: June 17, 1931
- Age: 95
- Birthday: June 17
- Zodiac Sign: Gemini
- Place of Birth: National City, California
Measurements
- Eye Color: Brown
Family & Relationships
- Father: Antonio Baldessari
- Mother: Hedwig Jensen
- Marital Status: Divorced
Net Worth & Income
- Salary: $69,000–$385,000 (Estimated range)
- Net Worth: $170,000–$7,353,000 (Estimated range)
- Source of Income: Professional employment and other applicable income
Related Biographies
- David Antin (Collaborator • Poet who introduced Baldessari to conceptual art circles.)
Online Presence
- Website:http://www.baldessari.org/
