Mike Bidlo

Here is a biography-style article on Mike Bidlo — with focus on his life, artistic practice, and influence.

Mike Bidlo – Life, Work, and Artistic Philosophy

Learn about Mike Bidlo (b. 1953), the American conceptual and appropriation artist known for his precise recreations of canonical modern and contemporary artworks. Explore his biography, major projects, themes, and his commentary on originality.

Introduction

Mike Bidlo (born October 20, 1953) is an American conceptual artist whose work centers on appropriation, reenactment, and the boundaries of authorship. He is especially known for his series of works titled “NOT …” (e.g. NOT Pollock, NOT Picasso, NOT Duchamp), in which he recreates or reenacts famous works or gestures of canonical artists, treating the act of replication itself as art. His practice probes questions of originality, authenticity, art history, and the role of the artist.

Over decades, Bidlo has produced works in painting, sculpture, drawing, performance, and installations. His work raises provocative questions about the art market, the status of the original, and how we revere (or mythologize) modern masters.

Early Life and Education

• Mike Bidlo was born on October 20, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois.

• He pursued formal art studies:
    • Bachelor of Arts at the University of Illinois, Chicago (1973)   • Master of Fine Arts at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (1975)   • Master’s degree (MA) at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York (1978)

These academic experiences anchored Bidlo’s technical skill and formal training, which underpin the highly accurate recreations he would later make.

Artistic Career & Major Projects

Early performances and statements

One of Bidlo’s earliest well-noted performances was “Jack the Dripper at Peg’s Place” (1982) at P.S.1 in New York. In this piece he reenacted Jackson Pollock’s drip technique, including, in symbolic gesture, a reenactment of Pollock’s rumored act of urinating into Peggy Guggenheim’s fireplace—a mythologized event in Pollock lore.

He also staged installations such as a reconstructed version of Andy Warhol’s “Factory” as part of his appropriation strategy.

These early acts already foregrounded Bidlo’s core concerns: reproduction, performance, the myths around iconic artists, and the boundary between homage and critique.

The NOT series and appropriation

A defining thread of Bidlo’s oeuvre is his “NOT” series—works that are explicitly not original Pollocks, Picassos, Duchamps, etc., but precise recreations (in image, scale, materials) meant to provoke reflection.

Some notable NOT series include:

• NOT Pollock (1982 onward)

• NOT Picasso (mid-1980s)

• NOT Duchamp, NOT Warhol, NOT de Kooning, NOT Brancusi, NOT Léger, NOT Georgia O’Keeffe, NOT Magritte, among others

• Fountain Drawings: large series of drawings replicating Duchamp’s readymade Fountain.

Bidlo has said:

“My work is perhaps an extreme example of this strain of art which references other art because it directly mirrors the image, scale, and materials of the original. Whatever differences appear in my work are a consequence of my working method and not an attempt at projecting a personal style.”

His practice challenges the art world’s mechanisms of authentication and originality: by making replicas that are virtually indistinguishable (until labeled “NOT”), he exposes how much value is placed on authorship and aura.

Exhibitions, institutions & representation

Bidlo’s work has appeared in major museums and galleries worldwide:

• Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh

• New Museum, New York

• P.S.1 / MoMA, New York

• Astrup Fearnley Museet for Moderne Kunst, Oslo

• Galleries including Bruno Bischofberger (Zurich), Leo Castelli (NY), Tony Shafrazi (NY), Galerie Daniel Templon (Paris), Gagosian (LA)

He lives and works in New York City.

His representation includes Galerie Bruno Bischofberger in Zurich.

Themes, Philosophy & Critical Position

Questions of originality and authorship

Bidlo’s work puts the notion of originality under relentless pressure. If a replica is nearly perfect, what differentiates it from the “original”? By labeling works NOT X, he both acknowledges the source and carves his work as a separate act of art.

His art interrogates the mythology around modern masters: to what extent do we revere the signature, the provenance, or the aura?

Homage vs critique

While some may view appropriation as derivative, Bidlo frames his work as homage with critical awareness. His recreations imply respect and devotion, but also question the artistic canon and the economic structures that valorize “originals.”

Performance, reenactment & embodiment

In addition to static works, Bidlo engages in performance or reenactment—embodying, for example, the gestures or environments of canonical artists. This act of embodiment underlines that art history is not static; it is lived and reenacted.

Institutional critique

By infiltrating museums, galleries, and institutional circuits with his replicas, Bidlo provokes reflection on how institutions police originality, copyright, and authenticity.

Continuity, loops, history

His work often gestures toward cycles and repetition: art history is not linear but loops, with influence, reappropriation, and reinterpretation recurring across generations.

Selected Quotes & Statements

While Bidlo is less quoted than more theory-driven artists, some statements and interviews stand out:

• “My work is perhaps an extreme example … references other art … directly mirrors the image, scale, and materials of the original.”

• In interviews, he has reworked even the interview itself as appropriation, “appropriating the conversation.”

• Regarding history in art: “history is about loops and continuums.”

These utterances resonate with his practice: the self-reflexivity, the looping of references, and the interrogation of context.

Legacy, Influence & Critique

Influence on appropriation and postmodern art

Bidlo is considered a significant figure in late-20th-century appropriation art, alongside peers like Sherrie Levine, Richard Prince, John Armleder, and Barbara Kruger.

His work pushes forward the discourse on how artists reuse, reference, and reinterpret art history in an era of reproduction and digital media.

Challenging art market and authenticity

By making replicas that exist in the same arenas as “originals,” Bidlo destabilizes the premium placed on originality. He reveals how much value is invested in authorship and provenance rather than pure visual or aesthetic content.

Critiques & controversies

Some art critics question whether works of perfect replication still carry artistic creativity, or whether they risk being seen as mere derivatives. Also, legal and ethical issues of copyright and appropriation continue to shadow such practices.

Others, however, view Bidlo’s work as a necessary critique of the fetishization of authorship in the modern art world.

Ongoing projects

Bidlo continues to produce and exhibit NOT works, especially in drawing series, and new reinterpretations of canonical artists, extending his practice into the present.

Conclusion

Mike Bidlo (b. 1953) is not simply a replicator of “great art,” but a conceptual provocateur—an artist who holds up a mirror to the art world’s reverence for originality, authorship, and myth. Through his NOT series, performances, and installations, Bidlo invites us to reexamine what we value, why we value it, and how art history is constructed, consumed, and reenacted.