“This artwork consists of five signed certificates documenting a series of discussions between artists Robert Ryman and Ian Wilson. It transforms the intangible act of conversation into a tangible, collectible art object.”
What you see here is not a traditional painting or sculpture, but rather a conceptual artwork composed of five certificates and a title sheet, each signed by artists Robert Ryman and Ian Wilson. This piece, titled "5 Discussions in the Years 1976 to 1994, at Greenwich Street, New York City, 1976–1994," documents a series of conversations. The artwork challenges the conventional idea of what art can be, moving beyond physical objects to focus on experience and interaction. Each certificate serves as a testament to these discussions, transforming intangible dialogue into a tangible record. This work invites us to consider the value of conversation itself as an artistic medium and how ephemeral moments can be preserved and presented within a museum context.
- Artist
- Will Roberts
- Date
- 1976
- Medium
- Five certificates signed by Robert Ryman and Ian Wilson and signed title sheet
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- Each sheet: 28 × 21.6 cm (11 1/16 × 8 9/16 in.); 28 × 21.6 cm (11 × 8 1/2 in.)
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

Observe the signatures of Robert Ryman and Ian Wilson on each certificate.
Notice the precise dates noted on the title sheet, spanning nearly two decades.
Consider the simplicity of the presentation: just paper and ink.
Look at the identical dimensions of each sheet, creating a unified series.
Will Roberts
1907–2000 · United KingdomWill Roberts, a Welsh expressionist painter, captured the soul of industrial workers, farmers, and the dramatic Welsh landscape, earning recognition as one of Wales's modern masters.
Further Works by Roberts
More works to explore
Beyond Roberts: works from the same years.
Same era · 1960s–1990s
Four Mona Lisas
Andy Warhol · 1978 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1960s–1990s
Unfinished painting
Keith Haring · 1989
Same era · 1960s–1990s
La grande bellezza
Pierre Alechinsky · 1965
Same era · 1960s–1990s
Essai
Sam Francis · 1963 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1960s–1990s
Alka Seltzer
Roy Lichtenstein · 1966 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1960s–1990s
Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)
Félix González-Torres · 1991
Same era · 1960s–1990s
Captain Joseph Medill Patterson
Ivan Puni · 1962 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1960s–1990s
Corpse and Mirror II
Jasper Johns · 1974 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1960s–1990s
Untitled (Brown and Gray)
Mark Rothko · 1969 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1960s–1990s
Olive Picking
Reuven Rubin · 1967 · Rubin Museum
Same era · 1960s–1990s
By the Sea
Yosl Bergner · 1962 · Israel Museum
Same era · 1960s–1990s
A Face from Georgia
Ivan Albright · 1970 · Art Institute of Chicago


