One and Three Chairs by Joseph Kosuth

Joseph Kosuth, born in 1945 in Ohio, USA, is an experimental conceptual artist who, since the mid-1960s, has been recognized as one of the avant-garde figures of conceptual art, shaping his work at the intersection of language and image, abstraction and reality. Like other conceptualists, Kosuth prioritizes the idea and concept over aesthetics and material, focusing on the search for abstract meanings, the true nature of objects, and the linguistic analysis of concepts. Alongside artists such as Hanne Darboven and Lawrence Weiner, Kosuth elevated the value of language in art and pursued the linguistic interpretation of objects.

One of Kosuth’s notable works within the realm of conceptual art is the installation One and Three Chairs, first exhibited in 1965. This installation features three key elements: an actual chair, a life-size photograph of that chair, and a printed definition of “chair” from a dictionary. A notable aspect of this work is the interchangeability of its components—except for the dictionary definition, the physical chair and its photograph can be replaced according to specific instructions Kosuth provided. Through this, Kosuth explores how a concept can be realized and transformed by altering its elements, continuously keeping the idea itself in play.

Yet, the central question remains: what exactly is Kosuth pursuing with this installation at the Museum of Modern Art in New York? The answer is not easily pinned down. In modern and postmodern art, objecthood—challenging the concept and even the social function of art objects—has long been a prevalent theme. Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain serves as a famous example. However, in One and Three Chairs, Kosuth goes further, aiming to provoke an inquiry within the viewer’s mind.

What truly is a chair? Is it merely a functional object we use daily? Is the image of a chair sufficient to embody the chair itself, even though it lacks the physical tangibility of the actual object? What about the definition? Does a chair, beyond its routine function, not carry meanings in literature and philosophy as well? Does the word “chair” convey concepts beyond the simple act of sitting?

One and Three Chairs highlights the unique role of language in conveying meaning, instilling doubt in the viewer’s mind about the “truth” of the chair. Kosuth challenges the very nature of things—whether physical objects, their visual representations, or their linguistic expressions. Is the essence of the chair found in any one of these elements? Or is it the sum of all three? Or could it be none of them at all?

In conceptual art, the work is not merely a means of aesthetic pleasure; its semantic dimension holds primary importance. The artwork does not reside solely in the dictionary definition, nor in the photograph on the wall, but in the juxtaposition of all these elements. Kosuth’s use of text as an analytical and theoretical device stands in contrast to the physical representation of art.

While a photograph or a dictionary definition may facilitate the mental representation of an object, neither can truly express its essence. The hidden meaning within an object only emerges through its true nature. The physical chair evokes the legacy of Duchamp’s ready-mades, while the photograph seeks an artistic representation, and the text points toward the literary and philosophical domains. This installation presents a clash of cognitive methods.

Although conceptual art—whether in the works of Duchamp, Kosuth, or contemporary artists—has often faced harsh criticism, its profound role in shaping new perspectives and interpretations of art and philosophy cannot be denied.