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Born in Electric City, Washington, Oppenheim spent his early years in suburban California. Returning to California in 1961, after marrying and living in Honululu, Oppenheim became increasingly aware of the discourse regarding Minimalism through the writings of Robert Morris, Robert Smithson and Dan Flavin in what was then the bible of art discourse, Artforum. Educated at the School of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, California (B.F.A., 1965) and Stanford University, Palo Alto, California (M.F.A., 1965) Oppenheim participated in the exhibition 'Earthworks' curated by Robert Smithson, at the Dwan Gallery in 1968 which stands as a benchmark in the Land Art movement, alongside with Michael Heizer, Smithson and Walter de Maria. A key figure in several art movements, including Land Art, Conceptual Art and Body Art, Dennis Oppenheim has made works such as In Reading Position for Second Degree Burn (1970) Exposed to the sun for five hours, the flesh fried; his chest was partially shaded by an open book, when the book was removed, it revealed a rectangle of 'undamaged' skin. In this work, the body becomes a canvas; subject and object become one. SELECTED PERMANENT COLLECTIONS: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark, Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Tate Gallery, London. Lives and works in New York City.

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