Art by Telephone (1969)

"Art by Telephone" was an extremely influential conceptually driven exhibition in the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's early history. Occurring at a time when the art world was moving away from minimalism and in a more conceptual direction, "Art by Telephone" asked artists from the United States and Europe to communicate their ideas for artworks over the telephone to MCA curator David H. Katzive. MCA staff then executed the works based on the artists' oral instructions, avoiding all blueprints and written plans. After six weeks, all of the works exhibited in "Art by Telephone" were either destroyed or disposed of by the museum.