Lawrence Weiner obituary

American conceptualist artist with a contempt for commercialism who used words as his chief materialIn February this year, a stencilled sign appeared on the gable end of the South London gallery’s new Fire Station annexe. Spray-painted in turquoise on white, it read AT A DISTANCE TO THE FOREGROUND. Passengers on passing buses mused over the sign’s meaning. It was a surveyor’s mark, perhaps, or something to do with health and safety. In fact, it was a work of art by the American