One of the central figures in the formation of Conceptual Art in the 1960s,[1] Lawrence Weiner explored the potentials of language as a sculptural medium.

[3] In 1958, he graduated from Stuyvesant High School early at 16, and went on to study philosophy and literature at Hunter College for less than a year.

[1] Weiner later declared that:“A REASONABLE ASSUMPTION SEEMS TO BE THAT / PROLONGED NEGOTIATIONS WITH A NON- / ACCOMMODATING STRUCTURE IS NOT THE ROLE / & / OR USE OF THE ARTIST OR THE ART.”.

[7] From 1968 onwards, Weiner’s work operated under the conditions dictated by the "Declaration of Intent", first presented in the magazine Art News in the fall of 1968 and in the "January 5–31, 1969" exhibition catalog.

Weiner uses the general term ‘receiver’ for any individual, collector, gallery, or museum who accepted the responsibility of ownership under these conditions.

In an interview with Benjamin Buchloh, Weiner asserted that the work in Statements is “decidedly non-macho, but [turns] out to be the tough guy in the bar.”.

[42] On the occasion of the Drawing Center's 2012 Spring Gala, where Weiner was being honored for his contributions to contemporary art, fellow artist Ed Ruscha and Mason Williams created a three-minute tribute in the form of a parody of Bob Dylan's legendary music video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues" with placards featuring Weiner text pieces like "stars don't stand still in the sky" and "water in milk exists.

/ Distribution to Underserved Communities Library Program) Honoree (2017); Roswitha Haftmann Prize, Kunsthaus Zurich (2015); Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, The Graduate Center City University of New York (2013); The Drawing Center Spring Gala Honoree, New York (2012); Bronx Museum of the Arts Honoree, New York City (2011); Skowhegan Medal for Painting/Conceptual (1999); Wolfgang Hahn Prize, Ludwig Museum, Köln (1995); John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship (1994); Arthur Köpcke Prize, Arthur Köpcke Memorial Fund, Copenhagen (1991); Singer Prize, Singer Museum, Laren, The Netherlands (1988); NEA Fellowship (1983); Stichting De Appel, Amsterdam & the State Film Board of the Netherlands (1982); NEA Fellowship (1976); 72nd American Exhibition, The Art Institute of Chicago (1976); DAAD, Berlin (1975-1976) Weiner produced film and video works throughout his entire life.

Weiner distinguished between 'film' and 'video', but produced both in parallel; As Dieter Schwartz writes in SHOW (&) TELL: The Films & Videos of Lawrence Weiner, "The ease of production of the video allows for real time to be rapidly converted to edited, cinematic time, whereas film can only be viewed after a complicated processing stage, which automatically makes the recorded events more distant.".