Jenny Holzer was born in 1950 in Ohio and studied painting at Duke University and the University of Chicago before receiving her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1975. She is known for her large-scale public displays using billboards, signs, and projections to simplify Western and Eastern literature into phrases for public understanding, which she calls "Truisms." Her goal with pieces like paste-ups on buildings was to start conversations and interactions between the art and pedestrians.

1. Jenny Holzer

2. Jenny Holzer was born in Gallipolis,
Ohio in 1950.
Holzer studied at Duke University in
North Carolina where she originally
wanted to pursue abstract painting. She
then went on to traditional painting,
printmaking and drawing at the
University of Chicago. Holzer received
her MFA from the Rhode Island School
of Design (RISD) in 1975.
Holzer belongs to a feminist generation
of artists that emerged in the 1980s.

3. Holzer is mostly known for
her large scale public
displays, such as
billboards, signs, and
illuminated projections.

4. Holzer felt the writings of
Western and Eastern
literature and philosophy
could be simplified to
phrases everyone could
understand. She called
these summaries her
"Truisms." These appeared
as anonymous sheets that
she printed. She printed
black script onto them and
pasted the sheets of paper
onto buildings, walls and
fences around the city.

5. Her Truisms allowed
pedestrians to scribble
messages on the posters
and make verbal comments.
Holzer would stand and
listen to the conversations
that her art had started.
The interactions with the art
was what Holzer was really
trying to achieve with these
pieces.

6. The main
purpose of her
work was
displaying ideas
in a public
space.
She moved on
from street
posters to LED
signs.

10. Her work
speaks to the
great pain,
delight, and
ridiculousness
of living in
contemporary
society