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Public Administration & LegalISCO 2651

Conceptual artist

A conceptual artist is a person who is free to choose any material as the tool or medium for expressing a creative idea that will then be presented in public as an artistic experience.

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Rate 5 of the 18 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

create artwork

develop an artistic framework

adapt artistic plan to location

maintain an artistic portfolio

identify artistic niche

About conceptual artist

In conceptual art the idea comes first and the material is chosen to suit it. The artist's work in this field of fine art may be two-dimensional, as drawing, painting or collage, three-dimensional, as sculpture or installation, or four-dimensional, as moving image or performance, and the same artist may move between all of them from one project to the next. The artist defines the creative elements of a piece: what the work consists of, what is essential to it and what is merely a choice of execution.

The artist presents the context of an artwork and explains the artistic processes behind a piece to curators, audiences and funders.

The artist draws on iconography and art history for references and researches artistic techniques in order to use a medium they have not used before. Intellectual property law matters when work is reproduced, licensed or made from someone else's material, and labour law applies where assistants and fabricators are engaged to realise a piece.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (18)

labour legislationlabour legislationLegislation, on a national or international level, that governs labour conditions in various fields between labour parties such as the government, employees, employers, and trade unions.intellectual property lawintellectual property lawThe regulations that govern the set of rights protecting products of the intellect from unlawful infringement.art historyart historyThe history of art and artists, the artistic trends throughout centuries and their contemporary evolutions.iconographyiconographyThe knowledge that artists put into practice when concepts are represented through symbols (e.g., painting a dog to represent loyalty). It is used in Christian religious painting, for example, by repr...create artworkcreate artworkCut, shape, fit, join, mould, or otherwise manipulate materials in an attempt to create a selected artwork-be the technical processes not mastered by the artist or used as a specialist.develop an artistic frameworkdevelop an artistic frameworkDevelop a specific framework for research, creation and completion of artistic work.adapt artistic plan to locationadapt artistic plan to locationAdjust plans to other locations with regards to the artistic concept.maintain an artistic portfoliomaintain an artistic portfolioMaintain portfolios of artistic work to show styles, interests, abilities and realisations.identify artistic nicheidentify artistic nicheFind your artistic niche in the market, attending to your strengths in each moment of your professional career.select artistic materials to create artworksselect artistic materials to create artworksSelect artistic materials based on strength, colour, texture, balance, weight, size, and other characteristics that should guarantee the feasibility of the artistic creation regarding the expected sha...monitor art scene developmentsmonitor art scene developmentsMonitor artistic events, trends, and other developments. Read recent art publications in order to develop ideas and to keep in touch with relevant art world activities.study artistic techniquesstudy artistic techniquesStudy a variety of artistic techniques and learn how to apply them in concrete artistic projects.discuss artworkdiscuss artworkIntroduce and discuss the nature and content of art work, achieved or to be produced with an audience, art directors, catalogue editors, journalists, and other parties of interest.contextualise artistic workcontextualise artistic workIdentify influences and situate your work within a specific trend which may be of an artistic, aesthetic, or philosophical natures. Analyse the evolution of artistic trends, consult experts in the fie...define creative componentsdefine creative componentsIdentify sources of inspiration and strong points. Identify the subject of the art production. Identify the content. Identify creative factors such as performers and music.make artistic processes explicitmake artistic processes explicitExplain the artistic creation endeavour as an intellectual and/or sensitive process being part of a cultural environment, and as a valuable pursuit of individual development.define artistic approachdefine artistic approachDefine your own artistic approach by analysing your previous work and your expertise, identifying the components of your creative signature, and starting from these explorations to describe your artis...gather reference materials for artworkgather reference materials for artworkGather samples of the materials you expect to use in the creation process, especially if the desired piece of art necessitates the intervention of qualified workers or specific production processes.
Optional (19) — show
assess conservation needsassess conservation needsAssess and list the needs for conservation/restoration, in relation to current use and planned future use.plan art educational activitiesplan art educational activitiesPlan and implement artistic facilities, performance, venues and museum-related educational activities and events.manage artistic projectmanage artistic projectManage an artistic project. Determine project needs. Establish partnerships. Manage the budget, schedule, contractual agreements and assess the project.monitor sociological trendsmonitor sociological trendsIdentify and investigate sociological trends and movements in society.develop educational resourcesdevelop educational resourcesCreate and develop educational resources for visitors, school groups, families and special interest groups.provide input to collaborators to guide their workprovide input to collaborators to guide their workDiscuss and exchange ideas related to the project with the team. Show the raw material to each designer and explain desires, expectations and aesthetic or technical concerns. Review proposals submitte...use artistic materials for drawinguse artistic materials for drawingUse artistic materials such as paint, paintbrushes, ink, watercolours, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.ensure safety of exercise environmentensure safety of exercise environmentSelect the correct training environment and assess risks to ensure it provides a safe, clean and friendly fitness environment and that it will be the best use of the environment in which clients are e...assess each stage of the creative processassess each stage of the creative processAssess and keep track of the work accomplished, analysing it for the artistic intent.develop artistic project budgetsdevelop artistic project budgetsDeveloping artistic project budgets for approval, estimating deadlines and material costs.develop artistic educational activitiesdevelop artistic educational activitiesDevelop speeches, activities and workshops in order to foster access and comprehension to the artistic creation processes. It can address a particular cultural and artistic event such as a show or an ...create pen-and-paper imagescreate pen-and-paper imagesDraw pen-and-paper images and prepare them to be edited, scanned, coloured, textured and digitally animated.keep personal administrationkeep personal administrationFile and organise personal administration documents comprehensively.manage personal professional developmentmanage personal professional developmentTake responsibility for lifelong learning and continuous professional development. Engage in learning to support and update professional competence. Identify priority areas for professional developmen...design greeting cardsdesign greeting cardsDesign the illustrations on greeting cards.present exhibitionpresent exhibitionPresent an exhibition and give educational lectures in a comprehensible way that is attractive to the public.develop animationsdevelop animationsDesign and develop visual animations using creativity and computer skills. Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, colour, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating ...design graphicsdesign graphicsApply a variety of visual techniques in order to design graphic material. Combine graphical elements to communicate concepts and ideas.participate in artistic mediation activitiesparticipate in artistic mediation activitiesParticipate in cultural and artistic mediation activities: announce the activity, give a presentation or talk related to a piece of art or an exhibition, teach a class or a group, lead artistic mediat...

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Frequently asked questions

What does a conceptual artist do?

Conceptual artists choose any material as an artistic tool or/and material to be presented as an artistic experience to the public. Their work, belonging to the fine arts, can be two-dimensional (drawing, painting, collage), three-dimensional (sculpture, installation) or four-dimensional (moving images, performance).

What skills does a conceptual artist need?

A conceptual artist needs 18 essential skills, including labour legislation, intellectual property law, art history, iconography, create artwork.

Will AI replace conceptual artist jobs?

The AI disruption score for conceptual artist is 14/100 (very low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: keep personal administration, intellectual property law, design greeting cards. Most resilient: develop an artistic framework, gather reference materials for artwork, define artistic approach.

Quick Facts

SectorPublic Administration & Legal
ISCO GroupLegal, social and cultural professionals
Essential Skills18

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